South Africa will chase a berth in the next African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament when they face Malawi in the final qualification round, starting with a first-leg clash at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on Saturday afternoon. Kick-off is at 3pm CAT.

Bafana Bafana, led by coach Molefi Ntseki, defeated Egypt 4-2 on aggregate in the previous round – having been ‘re-engaged’ in the qualifiers after the withdrawal of Tunisia and Libya from the tournament.

South Africa are looking to return to the CHAN finals for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2014, though they will face a stiff test from Malawi.

The Flames crushed Comoros 4-0 on aggregate in the previous round, and are hungry to secure their first-ever CHAN tournament appearance.

Ntseki’s squad – which must be made up exclusively of locally-based players, as per the CHAN regulations – features notable Betway Premiership players such as Neo Maema, Jody February (Mamelodi Sundowns), Tebogo Potsane (Kaizer Chiefs), Kwanda Mngonyama and Wayde Jooste (both AmaZulu FC).

The return-leg game will be held at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Sunday 11 May. The aggregate winners will qualify for the CHAN tournament, which will be held in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in August of this year.