Cheikhou Kouyate and Senegal will clinch qualification for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) if they avoid defeat in Burundi on Saturday.
The Lions of Teranga top Group K with four wins out of four so far, including a 3-1 home victory over Burundi in the reverse fixture played in June 2015.
Captain Kouyate and his compatriots know a win or a draw at the Prince Louis Rwagasore Stadium, Bujumbura, will secure their place at next summer’s finals in Gabon.
With 25 caps and two goals, the West Ham United midfielder is a vital member of the Senegal squad, having scored in the 2-0 win in Namibia in the current AFCON qualifying campaign.
However, the West Africans took time out from their preparations in Burundi on Monday to pay an important tribute to the Tutsi people.
Kouyate, head coach Aliou Cisse and the squad visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Nyarugenge District in neighbouring Rwanda on Monday afternoon.
There, they paid tribute to the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. The team was showed around the memorial site, where the remains of 250,000 victims of the massacre were laid to rest.
In an Instagram post, Kouyate wrote: “Senegal National Team Pay Tribute to Genocide Victims of #Rwanda #Tutsi #Love #Peace #Respect #Senegal”
On Tuesday, Kouyate captained Senegal to a 2-0 friendly victory over Rwanda at the Amahoro National Stadium in Kigali, with Stoke City’s Mame Biram Diouf among the scorers.
Saturday’s vital qualifying match in Burundi kicks-off at 3pm local time (2pm BST).