Kaizer Chiefs can ill afford any further slip-ups in the CAF Confederation Cup when they host Zamalek at Polokwane's Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.
Amakhosi started their group stage campaign with a 2-1 loss to Zamalek's Egyptian rivals, Al Masry, in Suez. Zamalek began on a winning note with a 1-0 home win over Chiefs' fellow COSAFA team, Zambia's ZESCO United.
Chiefs have had a better start to this season than their last two - both saw them finish outside the top eight in the South African Premiership. They secured their Confederation Cup spot by ending their 10-year trophy drought in the Nedbank Cup, and have since continued to show that they have turned a corner - but their journey back to their glory days has been a recurring case of two steps forward and one back.
The Glamour Boys are fourth in the Premiership, three points behind league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns with a game in hand. However, after a sublime start to the season, they faced turbulence with the departure of Nasreddine Nabi amid a reported breakdown in relations between him and the club.
No permanent successor has been announced, but Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze have taken charge of the team on an interim basis and delivered mixed results.
Zamalek are also under the guidance of an interim head coach - Ahmed Abdel-Raouf - as their revolving door continues.
Sitting fourth in the Egyptian Premier League, Zamalek are far from where they would like to be. However, even on the road, the five-time African champions can never be written off.
Key details
Date: Saturday, November 29 at 15:00 CAT (13:00 GMT)
Venue: Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, South Africa
How to watch: The match is scheduled to be broadcast on SuperSport's channel 209.
Team news
Kaizer Chiefs will have Uruguayan winger/attacking midfielder Gastón Sirino available for selection again after he served a one-match suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards during the Al Masry visit.
Expected lineups
Kaizer Chiefs
GK Brandon Petersen
LB Brad Cross | CB Zitha Kwinika | CB Inácio Miguel | RB Dillan Solomons
CM Sibongiseni Mthethwa | CM Thabo Cele
LW Mduduzi Shabalala | AM Gastón Sirino | RW Mfundo Vilakazi
Zamalek
LB Mahmoud Bentayg | CB Mohamed Ismail | CB Hossam Abdelmaguid | RB Omar Gaber
CM Abdallah Said | CM Nabil Emad
LW Chico Banza | AM Nasser Maher | RW Juan Bezerra
ST Oday Dabbagh
Stats:
Zamalek have faced South African clubs 10 times since 2013 in the CAF Confederation Cup and Champions League - winning four of those matches, losing five and drawing one.
Whether temporarily or permanently, Zamalek have been presided over by seven head coaches over the past year, as per Transfermarkt.