Faced with their own internal issues, Mamelodi Sundowns will this weekend be taking on a Raja Casablanca side that has been rocked by controversy within their squad, ahead of what is a very crucial CAF Champions League game for both teams.
After two successive draws, which has ultimately cost Manqoba Mngqithi his head coach job Sundowns, in their first game under new man in charge Miguel Cardoso, will be up against a Raja outfit that also had had a shake-up in their squad.
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The Green Eagles had a losing start in the CAF Champions League Group B encounter against local rivals AS FAR Rabat, going down 2-0.
Much of the talk post-match centered around the controversy involving leading striker Yousri Bouzok, who allegedly refused to take to the field.
Bouzok, an Algerian, reportedly 'kicked and screamed' when having to play against AS FAR, due to the jersey containing a map of Morocco, which included the Western Sahara.
The 28-year-old finished as top scorer in the Botola Pro League for Raja last season, following their historic league and cup double, where they pipped The Militarians by one point to the league title.
The latter were coached by Nasreddine Nabi.
Raja also finished the campaign with an unbeaten record under Josef Zinnbauer and his assistant Fadlu Davids.
Following the controversy, Bouzok was left unused on the bench by head coach Ricardo Sa Pinto against Maniema Union, in a 1-1 draw.
It remains to be seen if Raja will solve the situation before facing Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday.
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The Algerian has already been linked with an exit from the club in the January transfer window, with Zamalek reportedly the favourites for his signature.
The Green Eagles sit bottom of the group with only one point but are just one point behind second-placed Sundowns, who have the same number of points as Maniema.