In game two of their three-game homestand, Atlanta United welcome FC Cincinnati to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the final match of the MLS weekend on Sunday.
Atlanta are second from the bottom in the Eastern Conference following a 1-0 defeat at home to the Philadelphia Union, while the Orange and Blue are tied for first in the East despite a 1-1 draw with the Columbus Crew.
Match preview
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Ronny Deila is still trying to figure out how to unlock the Five Stripes, with the former MLS Cup-winning coach going winless in his last eight matches at the helm.
That is one fewer than their longest run without a triumph in this competition last year, with this team netting a goal or fewer on their current slide.
While they have only won one of their eight regular-season affairs at home this season, they have yet to lose successive encounters at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Defensively, Atlanta have been a mess throughout the campaign, conceding the joint-most goals in the Eastern Conference (24) and second-most in the league.
Meanwhile, the Five Stripes have left their share of points on the table as well, dropping nine when scoring first to this stage of the campaign.
Their only two victories in MLS this year took place at home, as they netted multiple times in both encounters, while they have won their last four matches played in this competition when scoring two or more goals.
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Rarely have we seen Cincinnati squander a lead in league play this season, but they missed an opportunity to put some distance atop the Eastern Conference table last week.
Pat Noonan's side were in front after six minutes in the Hell is Real Derby versus the Crew, dropping points for the first time all season when drawing first blood.
That said, the Orange and Blue have points in nine of their previous 10 league fixtures, winning seven of those matches by a single goal.
Their only three defeats in MLS this year were all away from home, with Cincy scoring a goal or fewer in six of those eight outings.
They are unbeaten domestically in 2025 when scoring in the final 45 minutes, dropping points in only one instance when doing so (2-2 draw versus Atlanta United).
Noonan has never lost a game against Atlanta since taking charge of Cincy, guiding his side to a victory in their previous two visits to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, winning both matches 2-1.
Team News
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In their opening match of their homestand, the Five Stripes did not have Stian Gregersen at their disposal as the Norwegian was dealing with a quadricep injury.
Deila had five new faces in his starting 11 for that clash, including Brooks Lennon, Pedro Amador, Tristan Muyumba, Ajani Fortune and Jamal Thiare.
Cincinnati had six newcomers in their opening lineup versus Columbus, with Luca Orellano, Nick Hagglund, Matt Miazga, Lukas Engel, Obinna Nwobodo and Sergio Santos all starting against the Crew.
Kevin Denkey had their only goal of that match, becoming the 15th player in club history to score at least 10 times for the club, a list which includes some of his current teammates like Orellano, Santos and Yuya Kubo.
Atlanta United possible starting lineup:
Guzan; Lennon, Hernandez, Williams, Abram, Amador; Slisz, Muyumba, Lobjanidze; Latte Lath, Almiron
FC Cincinnati possible starting lineup:
Celentano; Orellano, Hadebe, Miazga, Robinson, Engel; Bucha, Nwobodo, Evander; Kubo, Denkey
We say: Atlanta United 0-1 FC Cincinnati
It is rare to see Cincinnati drop points from winning positions, and it is even rarer to see them repeat the same mistakes twice, which is why we expect them to be incredibly compact, while they have more than enough quality to take care of the Five Stripes.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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Joel Lefevre
