Kaizer Chiefs need only a point from their visit to Zamalek in Cairo on Saturday to seal their passage to the CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals, but it will be tricky to achieve.
Ahead of the final matchday, Amakhosi top Group D with 10 points from five games. Zamalek are second with eight, while fellow Egyptian side Al Masry sit third with seven. Zambia's ZESCO United are bottom with three points.
With Chiefs' head-to-head record with Masry unable to serve as a tiebreaker as each side picked up a 2-1 win in two fixtures between the teams, the Glamour Boys have a goal difference of +2 while Masry's is 0.
If Chiefs seal a draw against Zamalek, then they are assured of progressing in top spot in the group. If they lose, they could finish as low as third depending on Masry's result against ZESCO. Only the top two will advance to the quarter-finals.
Chiefs are competing in continental competitions for the first time since their surprise run to the 2020-21 CAF Champions League final - where they lost to Zamalek's biggest rivals, Al Ahly.
A result in Cairo against one of Africa's biggest clubs five years on to seal passage to the would be an undeniable confirmation after last season's Nedbank Cup triumph that got them here that Amakhosi are back on the big stage.
Key details:
Date: Saturday, Feb. 14 at 18:00 CAT (16:00 GMT)
Venue: Al Salam Stadium, Cairo
How to watch: The match is scheduled to air on SuperSport's DSTV channel 209 (SuperSport Variety 4)
Team news:
George Matlou returned to the bench for Kaizer Chiefs in their win over Masry with Bradley Cross and Sibongiseni Mthethwa inching closer to recovery but still doubtful for a fixture of this magnitude. Etiosa Ighodaro remains likely to miss this game with injury.
Expected lineups
Zamalek
GK El Mahdi Soliman
LB Ahmed Khodary | CB Mohamed Ismail | CB Hossam Abdelmaguid | RB Mohamed Ibrahim Hassan
CM Abdallah Said | AM Youssef Wael | CM Mohamed Shehata
LW Ahmed Sherif | ST Nasser Mansy | RW Oday Dabbagh
Kaizer Chiefs
GK Brandon Petersen
LB Paseka Mako | CB Aden McCarthy | CB Inácio Miguel | RB Thabiso Monyane
CM Siphesihle Ndlovu | CM Lebo Maboe
LW Makabi Glody Lilepo | AM Mduduzi Shabalala | RW Mfundo Vilakazi
ST Flávio da Silva
Stats:
Flávio da Silva has scored penalties in both of Kaizer Chiefs' last two games (a 2-1 loss to Stellenbosch in the Nedbank Cup and a 2-1 Confederation Cup win over Al Masry).
In the 1-1 draw between Chiefs and Zamalek in November, the South African side had 60% of possession at home but only 0.27 xG, as per Flashscore, compared to Zamalek's 1.36.