After weeks of bombardment, the 'Secretary Birds' of Sudan are hoping they can bring joy to their conflict-affected country by clinching qualification for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as they confront the 'Almoravids' of Mauritania in the qualifiers.
Sudan should have played this game at home at the Khartoum International Stadium, but the match has been moved to the Agadir Stadium in Morocco.
The 'Secretary Birds' and the 'Almoravids' are a point apart, with the teams sitting in the 3rd and 4th spots respectively in Group I.
Sudan is only one point behind leaders, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This means a victory will take them straight to the top of the table, with just a game left.
However, a gasping Mauritania will not go down without a fight.
The 'Almoravids', who are at the bottom with just two points behind the leaders, will top the table with a game in hand, should they defeat Sudan.
However, if Sudan qualifies, it would be their second successive appearance at the AFCON finals and a third appearance for Mauritania.
The match will take place at 19:00 Moroccan time.
Other matches
Burundi vs. Namibia
Burundi’s 'The Swallows' will face off against Namibia’s 'Brave Warriors' at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Tanzania.
Burundi is unable to host this game on home soil as they lack a stadium that meets the minimum CAF or FIFA requirements to stage international matches.
Namibia needs a win or a draw to seal qualification for the AFCON tournament.
In their last encounter, the 'Brave Warriors' stole a surprise 2-1 victory against the 'Indomitable Lions' of Cameroon, landing at the top of the table.
Burundi will have to swim against a strong tide in this encounter, as they are 4 points behind the leaders.
They need to win this game and at least draw the next one to qualify. The encounter takes place at 16:00 local time.
Ethiopia vs. Malawi
This Group D action will take place at the Zimpeto Stadium in Ethiopia.
But Ethiopia’s 'Walia Ibex' are no longer able to qualify for the finals, having accumulated only 3 points in the encounter so far, and standing 9 points behind the leaders of Group D, Egypt.
It is also difficult for Malawi’s 'Flames', but there is hope if they can win their next two games to overtake Guinea and be the second team to qualify in the group after Egypt.
The match will be played at 17:00 local time.
