Turmoil at Raja playing into Amakhosi's hands

Two defeats in a row, a player suspended and a coach seemingly on borrowed time - Kaizer Chiefs could not have picked a better time to take on African Champions League opponents Raja Casablanca.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg at home, in which they opened the Raja defence with ease at times, Chiefs know they need to score in north Africa on Sunday.

And with the home team in such turmoil, they will hope to take advantage of the chaos that has befallen Raja since they returned from South Africa after the first leg.

They have lost back-to-back league matches against Maghreb Fes and Hassania Agadir, both by 2-1 scorelines, to slip to eighth on the table.

The second of those defeats was at home and they have now lost their last three matches at their own stadium in the league - a dismal run for a team once revered as near unbeatable at home.

All that has piled the pressure on Portuguese coach Jose Romao, who it has been rumoured has already been told he will not be in charge in the next campaign.

Tunisian Faouzi Benzarti, who led the side to the final of the Fifa Club World Cup in 2013, is tipped to make a return.

The air of uncertainty creates an unhealthy atmosphere around the squad, which is not helped by the suspension of striker Hamza Abourazzouk until the end of the season for disciplinary reasons.

The player, who was banned for six months in 2013 by Fifa for doping violations, stands accused of physical violence against his teammates and Romao. The loss of the Morocco international weakens the Raja forward line.