The South African U-23 team have been laying the ground work ahead of their qualifying campaign for the 2012 London Olympic Games, their pre-qualifying preparations will see Ephrahim ‘Shake’ Mashaba’s team come up against their Iranian counterparts on Sunday in Tehran.

Amongst the South African touring party travelling to Western Asia are Chiefs trio Mandla Masango, Lucky Baloyi and striker Lucky Khune.

Facing Iranian opposition is not new territory for Masango who has an idea of what to expect from their opponents on Sunday.

“Last year I played in a friendly game for Chiefs against the senior Iranian national team. Based on that experience I would expect them to have done their research on us and also I feel they will have a very physical approach to the game” explained Masango.

The Chiefs midfielder is also looking forward to experiencing the sights and sounds of a country he would never otherwise have visited.

“What we normally hear about Iran is generally negative I am looking forward to going there and seeing first-hand what the place is like. I believe their fans are very noisy.”

Striker Khune who will be undertaking his first journey outside of the African continent is using the opportunity to play for the U23 national team, to help gain experience and show case his talents in the same way that his brother Itumeleng did around four years ago.

“Itumeleng played for the junior national teams before he made his senior Chiefs debut and the competition he gained from playing in these games and the travelling to various countries helped him become a strong player in various ways.

Hopefully going to Iran and playing in conditions and against an opponent that is very robust and tactically sound will help me get good match practice and I can use these games to help stake a place in the Chiefs team.”

The younger brother of Amakhosi and Bafana keeper Itumeleng Khune is also looking forward to the journey for the life experience that will come with his trip to Iran.

“My dream is to play at the London Olympics and to get there you need to play in many games and do well at home and away.

Starting out in a place you know very little about is exciting because these kind of trips will help me expand my horizons and learn about new places and cultures and importantly to adapt playing in different locations.”