2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 1ST MATCHES - PREVIEW - Saturday's matches
Saturday's matches:
• Nigeria vs Congo -:-
• Mali vs Malawi -:-
• Ethiopia vs Algeria -:-
• Gabon vs Angola -:-
• Burkina Faso vs Lesotho -:-
• DRC vs Cameroon -:-
• Ivory Coast vs Sierra Leone -:-
• Ghana vs Uganda -:-
• Zambia vs Mozambique -:-
• Niger vs Cape Verde -:-
• Tunisia vs Botswana -:-
Cameroon, Ghana and Ivory Coast go into the weekend's hoping to put disastrous World Cup campaigns behind them.
Elsewhere, Algeria - who made it to the last 16 in Brazil - have a chance to push on and cement their status as a rising force.
Nigeria will face Congo with the threat of a worldwide ban from football hanging over them.
Fifa has given Chris Giwa until Monday morning to renounce his claim to be president of the country's football federation.
The 0700 GMT deadline falls midway between Saturday's clash in Calabar and a trip to South Africa for their second qualifier.
Giwa's stand-off with Fifa represents one of many unwelcome distractions for Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi.
Veteran goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama has withdrawn from the match citing family reasons.
Striker Chinedu Obasi also failed to travel to Calabar after failing to secure his passport in time for the journey.
Keshi, who eventually agreed to oversee Nigeria's two ties despite failing to agree a new long-term contract, was also locked in a war of words with Ikechukwu Uche after accusing the Villarreal forward of wanting "to be begged" to play for the national team - a charge Uche rejected.
"We are professionals and know what is expected of us.
Our job is to focus on the game and not what is happening off the pitch," said stand-in captain Austin Ejide.
"We cannot change anything that is going on out there.
What we can affect is what happens on the pitch and we have to continue doing our best and hope that they do the right thing and we do not get banned."
Congo only qualified for the group phase after Rwanda's disqualification for fielding an ineligible player.
The Congolese face the African champions without Delvin Ndinga, their vastly experienced skipper who picked up a knock while featuring for Greek champions Olympiacos in a league game recently.
The smart money is on Mali to open their campaign with victory over Malawi in Bamako.
With Algeria also in this group, the Malians know that dropping points against Malawi and Ethiopia could be suicidal.
"We are considered one of the favourites of the group, but I am 100% sure that there is no weak team in our group," said Mali coach Henri Kasperczak.
Algeria , where they reached the second round before losing to Germany.
But the Desert Foxes will face Ethiopia under a new coach following the departure of the man who led them to the knockout stages in Brazil.
Vahid Halilhodzic left to pursue pastures new in Turkey and was replaced by Frenchman Christian Guorcuff.
The death of Cameroonian player Albert Ebosse in a league match last month has also cast a dark shadow across Algerian football.
Algeria are Africa's number one team according to Fifa rankings but the performances of the Walya Antelopes at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2014 World Cup qualifiers suggest they are capable of putting the cat among the pigeons.
The Ethiopians have spent three weeks training in Brazil ahead of this weekend's opener in Addis Ababa, the first competitive outing for their new Portuguese coach Mariano Barreto.
"They Algeria were one of the good sides at the World Cup. I know it's not going to be an easy job for us," Barreto told BBC Sport.
Gabon have struggled to make an impact since co-hosting the 2012 tournament with Equatorial Guinea.
The Panthers failed to qualify for the 2013 edition in South Africa.
An opening home game against a fairly competitive Angola will be a good yardstick of where they stand in terms of progress.
Lesotho are buzzing after eliminating Kenya 1:0 on aggregate to reach the group stage.
But the Crocodiles could not have been given more difficult opponents for their first game than Burkina Faso.
The two teams will lock horns in their first ever official meeting in Ouagadougou.
The Stallions have made little changes to their playing personnel since losing to Nigeria in the 2013 final in South Africa.
And coach Paul Put's formula for success could not be clearer: "winning all home matches and never losing away fixtures".
Cameroon begin life without the retired Samuel Eto'o when they play the DR Congo in Lubumbashi.
The Cameroonians had requested the match to be moved to a neutral venue over Ebola fears but that plea fell on deaf ears.
Coach Volker Finke accepts that the Indomitable Lions need a fresh start after a controversial World Cup.
"This is a new departure for Cameroon, after the Brazilian World Cup which will still haunt the mind for a long time.
"The idea is a balance between youth and experience, to build a competitive team for a better future."
Despite winning back-to-back Nations Cup titles in 2000 and 2002, Cameroon have failed to qualify for the past two tournaments.
The Congolese are also looking to collect maximum points at home as they also begin a new era under interim coach Florent Ibenge.
The 52-year-old has impressed in his post as head coach of AS Vita and is desperate to prove his pedigree at international level.
The Leopards will be looking to secure a second straight appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations after crashing out of the group stage in South Africa in 2013.
In Abidjan, French coach Herve Renard begins a new chapter in his career when he leads Ivory Coast against Sierra Leone.
Renard - who guided Zambia to Nations Cup glory in 2012 - replaced compatriot Sabri Lamouchi, who quit after a calamitous World Cup campaign.
The tie was initially put in doubt by the Ivorian government's refusal to allow Sierra Leone, where the Ebola virus has claimed hundreds of lives, to fly to Abidjan.
But with no neutral venue materialising, the Ivorian authorities gave the match the green light.
Didier Drogba has called time on his international career, leaving Yaya Toure as the undisputed leader of the Elephants.
The Manchester City midfielder believes the appointment of Renard could be the catalyst for a new era of success.
"This is a coach with a lot of experience in Africa. He has great charisma and temperament.
"I hope he can take us far.
I really want to win something for my country before retiring."
Ghana - who have won the Africa Cup of Nations four times - face Uganda in Kumasi looking for redemption after a disastrous World Cup, both on and off the field.
Sulley Muntari, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Michael Essien are all surplus to requirements as coach Kwesi Appiah moves to the Brazilian chaos behind him.
Appiah has refreshed his squad by calling up Sweden-based David Accam, Leicester City's Jeffrey Schlupp and TP Mazmebe pair, Yaw Frimpong and Solomon Asante.
Some fans booed the players during their training sessions in Kumasi this week and it took an apology from captain Asamoah Gyan to calm things down.
When the Cranes were last seen in Kumasi in 2003, they escaped with 1:1 draw.
Seeking a return to the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the first time in 35 years, the East Africans arrived in Ghana without their South Africa-based striker Geoffrey Massa who was released late by his club.
Zambia versus Mozambique in Ndola is a southern African derby in which the Mambas have always come out second best.
In 13 meetings with the 2012 African champions, the Mozambicans have lost 11 times and drawn the other two.
The two sides last met in July last year in Kitwe, with the Zambians winning their Cosafa Cup quarter-final tie 3:1.
Chipolopolo are chasing a sixth successive appearance at the tournament and 17th qualification overall.
It will be their first match in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series while the Mambas have already played four matches to qualify to the group stage.
In his first taste of continental action, new Zambia coach Honour Janza 's task is to protect one of the few unbeaten records Chipolopolo still in their books.
Cape Verde 's hopes of qualifying for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations will be tested when they meet an equally ambitions Niger.
Niger are unbeaten at home in their last three games where they have picked up two wins and a draw.
The Mena are chasing a third successive appearance at African football's flagship tournament.
Former Portugal striker Rui Aguas is taking charge of Cape Verde for his first African appointment after replacing the much revered Lucios Antunes.
The last meeting between Tunisia and Botswana in Tunis ended in a surprise 1:0 win for the Zebras four years ago.
But not many pundits are expecting lightning to strike twice when the two teams clash again in Tunis on Saturday.
The Southern Africans are clearly the underdogs in a group that also includes heavyweights Egypt and Senegal.
The Carthage Eagles have been regular visitors to the Africa Cup of Nations finals and know that with the Pharaohs and the Teranga Lions to come, anything short of maximum points against Botswana could have disastrous consequences.