Ibrahim Sannie BBC Sport

Bartlett will lead the Bafana attack

South Africa have the chance to remain top of their group after this weekend's round of matches.

Bafana Bafana, who have a one-point lead over Ghana and DR Congo, face bottom-placed Uganda, whose plight has been worsened by their administrative crisis.

Stuart Baxter, South Africa's English coach, has succeeded in convincing estranged stars to return to the side after they fell out with previous manager Ephraim Mashaba.

A three-man attack, with Shaun Bartlett of English Premiership side Charlton Athletic as its arrowhead, is expected to deliver a crucial victory on Saturday.

Bartlett, the country's all-time leading scorer with 28 goals, is not underrating the Cranes.

"The Ugandans are no push-overs as I have played against them several times," he told BBC Sport.

"But the strength of our team means we will beat them at home."

Bartlett is expected to be supported upfront by Portugal-based Benni McCarthy and the talented Katlego Mphela.

Appiah will lead the Blacks Stars on Sunday

Meanwhile, Ghana's Black Stars are in difficulty as they face the DR Congo in Kinshasa on Sunday.

Apart from Lyon midfielder Michael Essien who is suspended, Israel-based John Painstil and Kofi Amponsah of the Greek club Eigaleos are both out through injury.

"This is the match of our lives because we need to win to stay in contention for a World Cup spot," captain Stephen Appiah told BBC Sport.

"But it will be difficult because we are playing away from home."

Claude Leroy, the DR Congo coach, has few worries as he welcomes back striker Shabani Nonda for a competitive match after a two-year absence.

The Cape Verde Islands, who lie in fourth place, still have high hopes of qualifying for a first-ever appearance at next year's Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Coach Alexandre Alhinho named a 17-man squad, mainly made up of Portugal-based players, to face Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou on Saturday.

The Burkinabes hope to improve on their performance after Frenchman Bernard Simondi was hired to replace Serbian coach Ivica Todorov, who was sacked in January.

Burkina Faso have lost three matches in this campaign, which leaves them second from bottom.

Group fixtures - South Africa v Uganda (Saturday 1430 GMT), Burkina Faso v Cape Verde (Saturday 1800 GMT) and DR Congo v Ghana (Sunday 1430 GMT).