Houston Dynamo have recorded two positive results in their most recent outings, and the home side will be aiming to lengthen their unbeaten run to three games when they welcome Dallas to the BBVA Stadium on Sunday.
Dallas currently sit 10th in the Western Conference, two positions and four points higher than Houston, with the playoff positions not completely out of sight yet with nine games still to play.
Match preview
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Houston were on a poor run of form when they went 16 games without victory between the end of May and the middle of this month, but a positive 3-0 victory over Austin FC rose the spirits in the Dynamo camp.
Tab Ramos's team followed that victory up with a 1-1 draw against fourth-placed Los Angeles Galaxy on Thursday, as Javier Hernandez cancelled out Fabrice Picault's 13th-minute opener.
Dynamo have not gone three games unbeaten since a run of matches from July 21 to August 1, when they recorded three draws on the bounce, but they have the opportunity to extend their unbeaten run this weekend, against a side which they did not lose to last time they met.
Houston hosted Dallas towards the end of August and it was an entertaining encounter which saw four goals split between the two teams, with Matias Vera equalising for Ramos's side after Picault had initially given the hosts the lead.
Victory on Sunday could mean Dynamo go seven points clear of Austin at the foot of the table, and lift the side to within one point of San Jose Earthquakes and Dallas above them, with Houston aiming to better their 12th-placed finish from last season.
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Dallas are looking to get back to winning ways this weekend, having only recorded one victory in their last seven outings, and they enter this fixture after a 3-3 draw with fourth-placed Eastern Conference side New York City.
Jader Obrian put Dallas 1-0 up after four minutes in that game, but the away side then had to show character to come from behind twice to secure a point, with the equalising goals coming from Jesus Ferreira and Obrian's second of the game.
Conceding those three goals away from home did not come as a surprise for Dallas, who have let in 28 goals in 13 matches on their travels so far this season, which may not give them confidence heading into this away fixture on Sunday.
Their last victory did come away from the Toyota Stadium against Austin, though, as Luchi Gonzalez's side put five past the bottom-placed team - however, the home team did still manage to score three goals that day.
That means in their last four games, Dallas have conceded three goals in three of those matches, which does not help their chances of securing victory as the team must be very efficient in front of goal to cancel out the strikes that they concede.
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Team News
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There is no new injury news for Houston, with Corey Baird and Nico Lemoine the only absentees from the matchday squad as they continue their recoveries from injury.
Ramos named an unchanged starting lineup for the game against LA Galaxy from the team which beat Austin, and after a positive point against the fourth-placed team, Dynamo are likely to remain with the same 11.
That means the midfield will consist of Vera and Joe Corona, with Carlos Quintero operating in a more attacking role, and Picault will look to add to his three goals in the last two games from a wide left position.
Defensive concerns continue for Gonzalez, with centre-back Matheus Bressan and left-back John Nelson both suffering from upper body injuries since last month.
Matt Hedges was replaced by Nkosi Tafari for their last outing against New York City, and Tafari is likely to partner Jose Martinez in the middle of Dallas' back four this weekend.
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Nelson; Lundqvist, Hadebe, Parker, Valentin; Vera, Corona; Picault, Quintero, Dorsey; Urruti
Dallas possible starting lineup:
Megiolaro; Twumasi, Martinez, Tafari, Che; Quignon, Servania; Pomykal, Ferreira, Obrian; Pepi
We say: Houston Dynamo 2-1 Dallas
Dallas are likely to get on the scoresheet on Sunday, as they have only failed to score in two games out of their last 11 fixtures - however, Houston will be determined to continue their unbeaten run.
Dynamo's last home fixture saw them put three goals past Austin and, while this is likely to be a tougher test, Picault is in good form which could help the home side come away with victory.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Houston Dynamo win with a probability of 49.21%. A win for Dallas had a probability of 26.64% and a draw had a probability of 24.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Houston Dynamo win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.73%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.55%) and 2-0 (8.16%). The likeliest Dallas win was 0-1 (6.79%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.38%). The actual scoreline of 3-2 was predicted with a 3.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Houston Dynamo would win this match.
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