The visitors, who have named an unchanged team, lead the series 2-0 and are looking to inflict Australia's first home whitewash in 122 years.
With Brett Lee, Shane Watson and Andrew Symonds injured, the hosts feature one of their most inexperienced attacks.
All-rounder Andrew McDonald and bowler Doug Bollinger will make their debuts.
Left-arm seamer Bollinger, who plays his state cricket for New South Wales, received the nod ahead of Ben Hilfenhaus on his home ground at the SCG.
"(The decision) obviously had a lot to do with his overall skills in the type of conditions that we're going to be confronted with here at the SCG," said Australia captain Ricky Ponting.
"He's got a very good record here, I think five or six five-fors in five or six games here at the SCG at six wickets (against South Australia) in his last game here for New South Wales.
"He obviously knows the conditions very well and will swing the new ball for us hopefully and he's got very good skills with the old ball."
McDonald, 27, has been in excellent form for Victoria over the past two seasons, scoring 1619 runs, taking 57 wickets.
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Not all doom and gloom for Australia yet
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South Africa captain Graeme Smith will lead his side as normal, despite the announcement on Thursday that he will miss the subsequent one-day series as he bids to recover from a chronic elbow injury.
However, vice-captain Ashwell Prince remains sidelined with a thumb injury.
Having lost the final two Tests in India, Australia recovered to win both matches of the home series against New Zealand, but face the very real prospect of their first whitewash down under since 1887/88.
Australia have been the official world number one team for all but eight months of the last 13 years.
We've had an amazing run as a team. We have dominated world cricket for a long period of time," said Australia captain Ricky Ponting.
"We've all got to remain upbeat. There's no time for panic or as (chief selector) Andrew Hilditch said, chop and change.
We want to win and there is a real motivation to win the series 3-0
Graeme Smith
"I'm still very positive and very sure that with some of these younger guys coming on that in a few years time we can get back up there and be dominating world cricket once again."
Australia will field one of their most inexperienced bowling line-ups ever with Mitchell Johnson the most experienced of the quintet with 17 Test appearances.
"It's going to be a challenge for me and something I'm looking forward to," said the 27-year-old Johnson.
"That's probably my job in the team - to try to help these young blokes through this next little period.
"That's something I've got to step up and do now. I still think we're a very strong side even though we've got a lot of young guys in the team."
Meanwhile, the South Africans are determined to press for the clean sweep.
"Our two victories have shown up very much the frame of mind our guys are in," Smith said.
They have been very graceful in the victories they have had. They haven't been over the top and they have been very respectful. I think that shows the mindset of the guys.
"There is obviously a huge amount of happiness to be arriving here 2-0 up. The Sydney Test match is normally a great occasion and we know that there is still a lengthy summer ahead of us against Australia.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith was the top Test run-scorer in 2008
"We want to win and there is a real motivation to win the series 3-0. That opportunity hasn't come around very often for teams against Australia.
"The team is motivated and I think there is a lot of individual motivation as well. The guys want to win and put in big performances."
With Bollinger getting the nod ahead of Hilfenhaus, Smith described Australia's decision to opt for two left-arm seamers - in Bollinger and Johnson - as "unusual".
"Only India these days seem to have two left-handers around," he said.
"Having Hilfenhaus in the squad for Melbourne and now going for Bollinger shows a certain lack of clarity in the selection process. That has surprised us. We know that it is his (Bollinger's) home ground but I guess Hilfenhaus must feel a bit hard done by.
"If we have caused a bit of uncertainty in their camp, then we will take that as a compliment that we have played well and met the challenges that we need to do."
The return series begins in Johannesburg on 26 February.
Australia have a fine record against the South Africans at the Sydney Cricket Ground, winning seven and losing just one of the 10 matches between the teams played there since 1910.
Prince and Jacques Kallis both scored centuries in the most recent encounter in January 2006, but Ponting made hundreds in both innings as the Aussies won by eight wickets.
Australia (from): Matthew Hayden, Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting (capt), Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Andrew McDonald, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger, Ben Hilfenhaus.
South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), Neil McKenzie, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Mark Boucher (wk), Morne Morkel, Paul Harris, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini.
The world's three leading news agencies are not covering the series due to a dispute with Cricket Australia.
Reuters, Agence France-Presse and Associated Press have suspended all coverage of the 2008-09 season.
Their photographers and reporters did not supply material from within the ground. As a result, we cannot use pictures from the current match.
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