 Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia are all in search for some southern comfort in a final dash to book their tickets to the 2010 Orange Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.
The trio are the only team’s from the southern zone still in the hunt to make the cut of the final 16 roll for next January's tournament to complement fellow regional member and next year’s Orange Africa Cup of Nations host Angola at the biannual event.
Ironically, all three southern zone sides are third in their respective qualifying groupings coming into this final weekend round of matches.
The race for Malawi and Zambia in particular has not gone without some buzz leading up to this weekend’s matches.
Malawi and Zambia have been hit by some controversy following omissions from their squads as they hit the road to play their crucial must-win qualifiers away to Burkina Faso and Rwanda respectively.
The Flames, third in Group E on 4 points from five games, will be without veteran South African-based midfielder Fisher Kondowe whom coach Kennah Phiri has left out for disciplinary reasons.
Malawi must win away in Ouagadougou against second placed Burkina Faso on 9 points to safely secure their first Orange Africa Cup of Nations final appearance since 1984.
“It’s going to be an important match for us and we need very important result,” Phiri said as Malawi seek to an agonizing 26-year-absence from the tournament.
However, loses for both Malawi and bottom placed Guinea on 3 points who are a point behind the former and are away to 2010 World Cup finalists Cote d'Ivoire on an unassailable 13 points will still see The Flames ignite a party back home and see them through to Angola.
Meanwhile, Mozambique are home and they host Group B leaders Tunisia in Maputo this Saturday.
The Mamba's Mozambique are on four points from five matches must beat Tunisia on 11 points to qualify to the Orange Africa Cup of Nations since 1998 although the latter are also in a desperate last round rush to consolidate their qualification to the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa next June.
A draw for Mozambique will be enough if second placed Nigeria on 9 points, who are hot on leaders Tunisia’s tail, can beat or finish level away to bottom placed Kenya on three points on the same date.
Furthermore, The Mamba's face a Tunisia side that is unbeaten on the road with one win 2-1 and a draw 2-2 to Kenya and Nigeria respectively in the final group qualifying phase.
Meanwhile, Zambia travel to Kigali to under a heavy cloud after a small band of fans stormed the Football Association of Zambia headquarters in Lusaka on Tuesday after two players were dropped for the match away to Rwanda.
Midfielders Andrew Sinkala and Isaac Chansa of Augsburg and Helsingborg in Germany and Sweden respectively have been left out allegedly after falling out with coach Herve Renard.
A tense news blackout from players has been instituted ahead of the match that could make or
break Renard's one-and-a-half-year in charge of Chipolopolo.
Zambia have four points from five games and face bottom of the table Rwanda on one point and a draw will suffice for Chipolopolo to qualify to Angola next January.
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