Malawi get their COSAFA Cup campaign underway when they go toe-to-toe against Zimbabwe at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe will look to bounce back from a disappointing opening-game share of the spoils versus Mozambique last time out.
Match preview
Zimbabwe did not get their campaign off to the best of starts after they were held to a goalless draw by Mozambique on Wednesday.
Zdravko Logarusic's men were on top for the majority of the contest, but they failed to make the most of their territorial advantage.
The Warriors sit third in group B, two points behind current leaders Namibia, with two of the other group members still yet to play.
Their next assignment sees them go up a Malawi side who they have beaten in each of the last two clashes involving the teams by a combined score of 5-1.
Wednesday's match is the first meeting between the outfits since 2016, and Zimbabwe will be keen on maintaining that already established dominance over their opponents.
Following the postponement of their opening fixture versus Madagascar, which was scheduled for July 7, Malawi will be the more rested side ahead of the tie in Port Elizabeth.
However, Meke Mwase's men may also need some time before their match fitness is up to full speed, which could play into their opposing side's hands.
The Flames have a mixed opening-day record in this tournament, winning and losing two games apiece in their last four appearances.
They did win the last one though, thrashing Seychelles 3-0, and a similar result here will do their confidence for the rest of the competition the world of good.
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Team News
Malawi remain without the services of up to nine players as well as head coach Meke Mwase who have had to go into isolation.
Brighton Munthali, Yamikani Chester, Chikondi Kamanga, Stain Dave and Gomezgani Chirwa are yet to join their remaining teammates after testing positive for COVID-19.
Also ruled out of Friday's game are Peter Cholopi, Antony Mfune, Gaddie Chirwa and Paul Ndlobvu, although all the players involved are currently asymptomatic.
Ben Musaka and King Nadolo both came off the bench for Zimbabwe last time out, but they could be named in the starting XI for this one.
Despite enduring a frustrating day in front of goal against Mozambique, Ovidy Karuru will fancy himself to get off the mark this time around.
Malawi possible starting lineup:
Kakhobwe; Sanudi, Nyasulu, Kawonga, Mwale; Idana, Mkwate, Selemani; Muyaba, Harrison, Davie
Zimbabwe possible starting lineup:
Arubi; Amini, Mavhurume, Dzingai, Mucheto; Band, Sarupinda, Tavengwa, Nyahwa; Matare, Karuru
We say: Malawi 1-2 Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe will be left frustrated after they missed an opportunity to get off to a good start last time out. However, they have more than enough to secure the win here, and we are backing them to do that.
Top tip
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 Malawi win with a probability of 48.03%. A draw had a probability of 27% and a win for Zimbabwe had a probability of 24.92%.
The most likely scoreline for a Malawi win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.52%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.54%) and 2-1 (8.91%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.63%), while for a Zimbabwe win it was 0-1 (8.95%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 4.2% likelihood.
