2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 4TH MATCHES - PREVIEW
Wednesday's qualifiers
• Cameroon vs Sierra Leone -:-
• Togo vs Uganda -:-
• Cape Verde vs Mozambique -:-
• Angola vs Lesotho -:-
• Ghana vs Guinea -:-
• Nigeria vs Sudan -:-
• Zambia vs Niger -:-
• Egypt vs Botswana -:-
• Ivory Coast vs DR Congo -:-
• Burkina Faso vs Gabon -:-
• Mali vs Ethiopia -:-
• South Africa vs Congo -:-
• Tunisia vs Senegal -:-
• Algeria vs Malawi -:-
In Group A all eyes will be on Nigeria, who are in serious danger of failing to qualify to defend their title.
Off-the field problems have translated to their results and the shock 1:0 loss away to Sudan has left the super Eagles bottom of the table and without a win.
Coach Stephen Keshi, who is working without a contract, has blamed the team's recent failures on "sabotage", claiming some people in Nigerian football are desperate for the Super Eagles to fail.
Nigeria meet Sudan in Abuja knowing anything other than a win could be disastrous for their hopes of a recovery.
Group leaders South Africa have impressed under new coach Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba and go into their game against Congo full of confidence after they beat them 2:0 away at the weekend.
A belief in youth has been a big factor in the Bafana Bafana revival with Mashaba preferring teenage defender Rivaldo Coetzee over 30-year-old Tefu Mashamaite in Congo.
"The first time I coached South Africa against Congo in 1992 we scored once, the second time we scored twice last weekend, so I am hoping for three come Wednesday," said Mashaba.
Strikers Bongani Ndulula and Tokelo Rantie struck the goals that conquered Congo in Pointe-Noire and they are likely to start in a side that has not conceded a goal in three qualifiers.
The Desert Foxes have shown why they are Africa's top-ranked side by winning all three of their Group B games, two of which were away from home,
And it is expected they will capitalise on home advantage against Malawi to book their place at next year's finals in Morocco with two qualifiers to spare.
All Wednesday's games are the reverse fixtures from last weekend - the second of the double-header ties that pitted two group teams against each other home and away in the space of a few days.
In Blantyre on Saturday, Algeria's slick passing had Malawi chasing shadows at times and it is hard to think they will not repeat or better the 2:0 victory they achieved then.
Once again Sofiane Feghouli and Yacine Brahimi will look to run things from midfield.
Gabon visit Burkina Faso with Borussia Dortmund goal-poacher Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in top form, and a win coupled with a draw between Angola and Lesotho would qualify the Panthers.
Aubameyang was on target in his side's 2:0 win over the Burkinabe at the weekend and will fancy his chances of adding another goal to his tally.
Cameroon are also at home - although their fixture against Sierra Leone last weekend was also played in Yaounde because of the Ebola outbreak in their opponents' country - and they are desperate to improve after surprisingly being held to a draw.
Until that point the Indomitable Lions had been flying in Group D, leading the table after two wins - including a 4:1 thrashing of Ivory Coast.
And coach Volker Finke wants a return to the form that delivered that impressive victory when they meet the Leone Stars again.
France-based attackers Vincent Aboubakar and Clinton N'Jie, scorers of three goals each in the qualifiers, will be eager to rediscover their cutting edge.
Maximum points for Cameroon would open the door for Ivory Coast to also seal a finals slot by completing a double over DR Congo having won 2:1 in Kinshasa.
The Ivorians succeeded in Kinshasa despite Swansea star Wilfried Bony failing to convert a penalty, and they boast a home record of only one defeat in 51 qualifiers.
That result - along with Ghana's 1:1 draw away to Guinea - means Group E is very tight.
Togo could move from bottom to second with a win over the Cranes, though they will again be without first-choice goalkeeper Kossi Agassa who has returned to his French club Stade Riems for treatment for an injury that forced him to miss the Hawks' win on Saturday.
Uganda must bounce back after Togo beat them 2:0 in Kampala to inflict on them their first home defeat in 10 years.
Ghana have home advantage against Guinea and will be motivated to secure all three points and take control of the group.
The Black Stars are currently being coached by Maxwell Konadu, who is in temporary charge while a new permanent boss is sought.
Ghana's football Association announced on Monday that German Bernd Schuster had replaced Dutchman Patrick Kluivert on a five-man shortlist for the job.
Zambia should end a three-match winless run having held Niger goalless in their Group F match in Niamey.
One disruption to Chipolopolo's preparations has been the expulsion from the squad of captain Chris Katongo , who has fallen out with the coaching staff.
Like Nigeria, record seven-time title-holders Egypt and shock 2012 winners Zambia need home victories to keep alive hopes of qualifying.
However, a 2:0 victory in Gaborone suggests Egypt can defeat Botswana again and put pressure on Senegal and Tunisia in Group G.
Botswana will be without India-based midfielder Ofentse Nato, who has retired from international football at the age of 25 after accusations of coming to camp drunk.
For Senegal or Tunisia to secure a place, one of them must win in Monastir and hope Botswana stun Egypt.
Having being thwarted in Dakar by a packed Tunisian defence, Senegal coach Alain Giresse will hope attackers Papiss Cisse, Sadio Mane and Dame Ndoye can benefit from greater space.