A place in the final World Cup 2022 qualifying phase will be on the line on Sunday when Congo DR play host to Benin at the Stade des Martyrs.
With just two points and one place separating the sides at the summit of Group J, this game has all the makings of a nerve-racking and absorbing contest.
Match preview
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Congo DR kept their hopes of making it into the final round of the World Cup qualifiers alive when they cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over Tanzania.
In a one-sided affair at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium, former Chelsea man Gael Kakuta, Nathan Idumba Fasika and Ben Malango were on target to fire the Leopards back to winning ways.
Prior to that, Hector Cuper's men saw their unbeaten run in the qualifiers come to an end when they fell to a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Madagascar courtesy of Njiva Rakotoharimalala's first-minute strike.
The win last time out saw Congo DR remain two points behind Sunday's visitors in the group standings and keep their chances of securing a second-ever World Cup appearance alive.
The two-time African champions will feel confident of getting the win and leapfrogging Benin as they boast a superior record in recent meetings between the sides, claiming three wins and four draws from their most recent nine encounters.
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Meanwhile, Benin maintained their lead at the summit of Group J when they secured a 2-0 home win against rock-bottom Madagascar last time out.
Jodel Dossou netted on the stroke of half time to put the hosts in front heading into the interval before Steve Mounie scored his third goal of the campaign in the 79th minute to make sure of the result.
The Squirrels have enjoyed a solid run in search of a place in Qatar so far and this has been owing to their solid displays on the road, where they have picked up two wins from two and kept clean sheets on both occasions.
With just one point needed to secure their place in the final qualifying round and edge closer to a maiden World Cup appearance, Michel Dussuyer will hope his side can build on their win last time out and come away with the desired result against a Congo DR side who are 16 points ahead in the latest FIFA World Rankings.
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Team News
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On the back of his side's dominant display against Tanzania last time out, Cuper could name a similar starting side on Sunday, meaning we could see Dieumerci Mbokani and Cedric Bakambu lead the line once again.
Doubts are cast over the availability of Glody Likonza after the Standard Liege midfielder trudged off the pitch with a 40th-minute injury in the aforementioned game.
He was replaced by Arthur Masuaku, who came on for what was his first appearance in two years and the West Ham United man could be handed a place in the XI after a solid outing.
Likewise, Benin put on a show against Madagascar last time out and Dussuyer could stick to his winning formula and name a similar side in this one.
The attacking duo of Clermont Foot's Dossou and Stade Brestois' Mounie both found the target in the aforementioned game and will be tasked with leading the line once again.
Congo DR possible starting lineup:
Kiassumbua; Amale, Mbemba, Luyindama, Masuaku; Akolo, Kayamba, Kebano, Moutoussamy; Bakambu, Mbokani
Benin possible starting lineup:
Allagbe; Kiki, Adenon, Verdon, Doremus; Ahlinvi, Adeoti, D'Almeida; Gomez, Mounie, Dossou
We say: Congo DR 1-1 Benin
Considering a place in the final qualifying round is up for grabs in this one, we expect both sides to take the game to each other in search of all three points. However, both sides are evenly matched on paper and we anticipate a share of the spoils with Benin progressing into the next round.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Congo DR win with a probability of 48.05%. A win for Benin had a probability of 27.38% and a draw had a probability of 24.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Congo DR win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.96%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.45%) and 2-0 (8.1%). The likeliest Benin win was 0-1 (7.15%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.62%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with an 8.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Congo DR would win this match.
