AFRICA CUP 2017 QUALIFIERS - this weekend
All the top seeds have home advantage and are expected to win their opening 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers this weekend.
It could mean predictable results in the first of six match days as 52 teams across 13 groups begin their quest to reach the tournament in Gabon.
Fifteen places are up for grabs - with hosts Gabon already given one automatic place and involved in the qualifiers only in a non-competitive capacity.
Three of the teams looking to book their place will have extra incentive to book their place - Morocco, Tunisia and The Gambia were given reprieves having been excluded by the Confederation of African Football for various misdemeanours.
Morocco had been punished for failing to host the 2015 Nations Cup because of their fears over Ebola, Tunisia had been banned for their behaviour during the tournament, while The Gambia had been suspended for fielding over-age players.
FRIDAY
• Guinea vs Swaziland 2:1
• Morocco vs Libya 1:0
• Tunisia vs Djibouti 8:1
SATURDAY
• Malawi vs Zimbabwe -:-
• South Africa vs The Gambia -:-
• Zambia vs Guinea-Bissau -:-
• Angola vs CAR -:-
• Uganda vs Botswana -:-
• Nigeria vs Chad -:-
• Cape Verde vs Sao Tome -:-
• Burkina vs Comoros Islands -:-
• Senegal vs Burundi -:-
• Mali vs South Sudan -:-
• Algeria vs Seychelles -:-
SUNDAY
• Ghana vs Mauritius -:-
• Mozambique vs Rwanda -:-
• Cameroon vs Mauritania -:-
• DR Congo vs Madagascar -:-
• Togo vs Liberia -:-
• Congo vs Kenya -:-
• Equatorial Guinea vs Benin -:-
• Ethiopia vs Lesotho -:-
• Niger vs Namibia -:-
• Gabon vs Ivory Coast -:-
• Egypt vs Tanzania -:-
• Sudan vs Sierra Leone -:-
Tunisia played on Friday 8:1, the former African champions won against Djibouti, the third lowest ranked national football team in the world and 178 places behind the North Africans.
Also on Friday Morocco defeated Libya 1:0, while Guinea won against Swaziland 2:1.
Guinea are banned from competing at home because of the threat of Ebola in their country, so will host the match in Casablanca.
Former France international Luis Fernandez has taken over as Guinea coach and is among 23 managerial appointments at African national teams in recent months.
Record seven-time African champions Egypt, who failed to qualify from the 2015 finals in Equatorial Guinea, host Tanzania near Alexandria.
New Argentina-born coach Hector Cuper insists he will not underestimate the east Africans, whose build-up included losses to Swaziland, Madagascar, Lesotho and Rwanda.
"I respect all our opponents equally and my aim is book the automatic place for the finals," he said.
The Gambia travel to South Africa, hoping Bafana Bafana have not yet recovered from failing to win any of their matches in Equatorial Guinea.
South Africa coach Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba has even warned that the west Africans could prove a "banana skin".
And recently appointed Senegal coach Aliou Cisse, whose side will face Burundi, says 'favourites' in football matches are a figment of journalists' imaginations.
"Favourites belong in newspapers," he said, scornfully dismissing the popular term as he announced a squad to play Burundi in Dakar.
However, Algeria at home to the Seychelles is another fixture that has a home victory and a glut of goals written all over it.
One hundred and sixty six places divide them on the world rankings and while Algeria are regular Nations Cup tournament participants, Seychelles have never come close to qualifying.
Seychelles coach Ulrich Mathiot admits his team are likely to defend with 10 men for most of the match in Blida, south of Algiers.
"We have no choice," he conceded.
"All-out attack would be suicidal against Algeria, a great team with great individual footballers."
Ghana, runners-up to the Ivory Coast in the 2015 Cup of Nations last February, and three-time champions Nigeria are other countries facing countries ranked far lower.
Mauritius go to Accra with goalkeeper Kevin Jean-Louis in excellent form, but there is no evidence to suggest they can bridge a 142-place gap in the rankings.
Arch-predator Asamoah Gyan has recovered from injury to lead the Ghana attack, although injured creator Andre Ayew misses out.
There is considerable excitement among Ghanaians over Bernard Mensah, a 20-year-old midfielder with a venomous shot who plays in Portugal and is reportedly being watched by Manchester United.
Nigeria have been on a Cup of Nations roller-coaster, eliminating favourites Ivory Coast en route to lifting the trophy in 2013, but failing to qualify for the tournament this year.
Stephen Keshi, who comes and goes regularly as Super Eagles coach, is back in charge and respects Chad, who lie 129 places lower in the world.
"Football in Africa today is dynamic and we have to respect all teams and prepare well," stressed the coach affectionately called 'Big Boss'.
Keshi has dismissed reports that he axed John Obi Mikel, insisting the Chelsea midfielder is being "rested".
Burkina Faso, four-time title-holders Cameroon and shock 2012 champions Zambia all need to erase bad memories of Equatorial Guinea as they propped up standings.
All start with home games and should collect maximum points as Burkina Faso play the Comoros Islands , Cameroon meet Mauritania and Zambia face Guinea-Bissau.
Democratic Republic of Congo, the surprise 2015 bronze medalists, start in Kinshasa against Madagascar, a side boasting a prolific scorer in Sarivahy Vombola but a suspect defence.
Reigning champions Ivory Coast have a bye in the only three-team group and visit automatic qualifiers Gabon for a friendly minus injured talisman and record four-time
African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure.
All but two countries, Eritrea and Somalia, have entered the preliminaries of the competition in a record turnout for the Nations Cup, with 26 qualifiers taking place this weekend.
The winner of each of the 13 groups will qualify for the finals plus the two best runners-up and 2017 hosts Gabon.