Enyimba are Nigeria's lone hope of returning to the top 12 of the African football rankings and restoring their two spots for each of CAF's continental competitions.
Qualification to the quarter finals of the Confederation Cup will earn the country at least 10 points on those rankings, and some daylight from the chasing pack.
It is this, more than anything else, that makes next week's final group game against group leaders CARA Brazzaville of such vital consequence, not just to the People's Elephant, but to the other 19 clubs in the NPFL.
As it stands, Enyimba's win in Mali against Djoliba made them the only team in the group to win away, and took them to nine points and second in the group behind CARA, but only on goals difference.