Mamelodi Sundowns are in a precarious position in the CAF Champions League, while Kaizer Chiefs and Stellenbosch FC would benefit greatly from victories in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Here are the permutations heading into the weekend.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS
Sundowns travel to Lubumbashi in the DR Congo to face St Éloi Lupopo, who defeated Orlando Pirates 3-0 at the same venue in the second preliminary round, one of the competition’s notable shock results in recent years.
Sundowns won the reverse fixture in Pretoria in November with relative ease, but the away match is expected to present a very different challenge, with a hostile environment likely both on and off the pitch.
Sundowns remain second in their group despite a 2-1 defeat to Al Hilal in neutral Rwanda last time out, but they can ill afford another loss, or possibly even a draw.
Al Hilal lead the group on eight points, with Sundowns on five, and MC Alger and St Éloi Lupopo both on four.
Should Sundowns draw and MC Alger defeat Al Hilal, the Brazilians would drop outside the top two heading into the final round, where they host MC Alger. A draw in that match would see Sundowns eliminated.
Sundowns have been inconsistent, but they possess a squad capable of winning their final two matches and topping the group. They now need to translate that potential into results on the pitch.
KAIZER CHIEFS
Chiefs are third in their CAF Confederation Cup group, level on points with Al Masry but outside the top two on goals scored.
Zamalek lead the group on eight points, followed by Egyptian side Al Masry and Chiefs, both on seven, with ZESCO United yet to register a point.
Chiefs host Al Masry on Sunday and realistically require a victory, as they still have to travel to face Zamalek in the final round. A draw would leave them in third place going into that match, and it is unlikely ZESCO United will take points from either of their remaining fixtures.
The most realistic path to qualification appears to be a home win on Sunday, preferably by a comfortable margin, followed by a draw away to Zamalek in the final round.
Al Masry are expected to record a strong win over ZESCO United at home in their final group match, meaning goal difference and goals scored could favour the Egyptian side.
As a result, Chiefs need to collect more points than Al Masry from their remaining two fixtures.
Chiefs are unbeaten in their last 10 home matches in African club competition, winning five of those, but Al Masry will view a draw as a positive result and are likely to be organised and difficult to break down.
STELLENBOSCH FC
Stellenbosch sit bottom of their CAF Confederation Cup group, but only two points behind second-placed Otôho d’Oyo, whom they visit on Sunday.
The Winelands club will likely need to win both of their remaining matches, although four points could be sufficient if group leaders Belouizdad continue their strong form.
If Stellenbosch can secure a draw away this weekend and then defeat Tanzanian side Singida Black Stars at home in their final fixture, a Belouizdad home win over Otôho d’Oyo would see the South African side finish second.
That scenario is realistic, but defeat this weekend would end their continental campaign.
Such an outcome would be a disappointment for a team that reached the CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals last season and arguably deserved a place in the final.
The bottom line is that Stellenbosch need a positive result in Brazzaville this weekend.
