The African continent will be agog as countries battle each other for 15 slots available for the continental showpiece in 2015 after Morocco claimed one of the 16 tickets as the host nation.

In Group A, the Super Eagles of Nigeria will attempt to salvage some pride when they face the Lions of Jediane in Khartoum this weekend in the 3rd game of the qualifying matches for the 2015 Africa Cup of nations to be hosted by Morocco.

The tie which was initially scheduled to take place in Omdurman on Saturday has been shifted by the Sudan Football Association to the Municipal Stadium in Khartoum- an artificial turf.

The reigning African champions were stunned 2-3 in the opening round by Congo in Calabar before and then a 0-0 draw with the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in Cape Town.

With this new development, the Super Eagles have also moved their training to an artificial turf at the FIFA Goal Project pitch inside the Abuja national stadium in order to familiarize the players with the synthetic turf.

Bafana Bafana will try to unseat leaders Congo whose fairytale run has seen them win two games out of two and will host South Africa at the Pointe-Noire Stadium in Pointe-Noire . Coach Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba will lead the onslaught in a bold attempt to record three points. Congo tops the group with six points, South Africa and Nigeria are second and third with four points and one point respectively while Sudan is placed fourth with no points.

In Group B, the desert foxes of Algeria will continue their fine form stemming from a brilliant performance in Brazil when they face Malawi in Blantyre. The match is fixed for the Kamuzu Stadium.

Algeria will have to be weary of Malawi having defeated Ethiopia 3-2 at the same venue back in September. The desert foxes will look to consolidate on their position on top of the log table with a victory in Blantyre having beaten Mali with a slim 1-0 victory in Blida.

The battle for a best third place finish will be in Addis Ababa between Ethiopia and Mali. Confidence is not high in the Ethiopian capital after the Walia Ibex suffered a 2-3 loss to Malawi in Blantyre. Mali was unlucky to lose 0-1 to Algeria in Blida. Algeria are comfortable with six points while Mali and Malawi both have three points each to sit in second and third respectably. Disappointingly, Ethiopia is yet to register a point so far.

As expected in Group C, the Stallions of Burkina Faso are aiming to feature in another AFCON final having reached that same stage in 2013, losing 1-0 to Nigeria. Burkina Faso will make the trip to Libreville, Gabon for another test of their credentials en-route to Morocco 2015. Gabon are just two points behind the Group C leaders and the Stallions will look to protect their leadership when both square up at the Libreville Stadium.

Surprisingly, Angola is placed bottom of this group with no points. Minnows Lesotho were able to pull a draw against Gabon at the Setsoto Stadium in Maseru back in September to earn a third spot on the log. Angola therefore, must travel to Maseru with their 'A' game if three points are to be theirs.

In Group D, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon seem to be on the rise once again after years of wallowing in despair. The once African giant has a date with Sierra Leon at the OMNISPORTS Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaoundé. The Confederation of African Football had to shift the game to Yaoundé due to the dreaded Ebola Virus raging in the West African country.

RD Congo and Cote d’Ivoire share three points each but the Les Elephants sits third on the log and now faces an uphill task of recording three points in Kinshasa. Cote d’Ivoire had earlier defeated Sierra Leon 2-1 but were stunned 4-1 by Cameroon the last time around to leave last year’s quarter-finalists in 3rd spot.

The Black Stars of Ghana are favourites to win Group E, but presently shares four points with leaders Uganda based on goal difference. Ghana must make the long trip to Casablanca a memorable one with three points in the kitty at the end as they face Guinea. Like the Sierra Leon case, CAF decided the match to be staged in Morocco due to the Ebola Virus.

In the Group E’s other game, table toppers Uganda will face the Hawks of Togo at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala. Uganda drew Ghana 1-1 in Kumasi but were able to defeat Guinea 2-0 to record four points so far. Pulling another three points this weekend will brighten their chances of qualification.

In Group F, 2012 champions Zambia are a step off the form that propelled them to the summit of African football as they languish in third position with just a point so far. Cape Verde continues to justify its top 10 ranking in African football having kept 100% record in the qualifying series so far.

However, a stern test in Maputo will bring out the jury on once again for Cape Verde. It could be a stroll in the park for the visitors with Mozambique’s form not to be relied upon having picked just 2 points from a possible six.

Zambia’s woes are further compounded with a trip to Niamey as they will battle Niger. Zambia are favourites to win this tie at the Stade Général S. k., but if anything, it will be an open game despite Zambia’s pedigree.

The tag ‘Group of Death’ fittingly describes Group G but as the debacle continues, the Pharaohs of Egypt have not been able to pull their weight. Languishing at the bottom of the group, it is not seen as a possibility how they can qualify from this group most especially as Senegal and Tunisia sits first and second with six points shared respectively.

Egypt will travel to Gaborone, Botswana for their third game and it is expected that this should be an easy three points for the Egyptians having lost to both Tunisia 0-1 and Senegal 0-2 respectively. The match is billed for the National Stadium, Gaborone.

Senegal and Tunisia will battle for supremacy at the Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar. Senegal tops the log thanks to a superior +4 goals difference while Tunisia has +2.

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About the author
Oderinde Olufemi
Editor at @Vavel_Nigeria. Jamz 101.1 FM Presenter. Reporter. Producer. Writer. Football Pundit.Voice Over Artist. 2009 Radio Personality Award Recipient (University of Ibadan).