Minnesota United will aim to continue their strong start to the Major League Soccer season when they welcome Austin FC to Allianz Field for a Western Conference clash.
The Loons are second in the standings with 25 points from 14 matches and find themselves just three points off leaders Vancouver Whitecaps, while the visitors currently occupy ninth place, but are struggling to find consistency.
Match preview
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Minnesota enter this fixture on the back of two wins over St. Louis City in the space of four days, most recently coming from behind to win 3-2 in the US Open Cup round of 16 thanks to two goals in the final five minutes.
That followed a commanding 3-0 league victory against the same opponent, with Eric Ramsay's men now unbeaten in 12 of their last 13 matches across all competitions.
Ramsay, who guided the Loons to a sixth-place finish last season, has injected discipline and flair into a side that is beginning to look like a genuine title challenger, and with three successive home victories, including a resounding 4-1 win against Inter Miami, Allianz Field looks to have become a fortress.
The Loons' recent form suggests they are ready to break the hoodoo in this fixture, with the last four installments of this meeting ending with an away win.
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Austin FC also progressed in the US Open Cup with a 3-1 win over Houston Dynamo, but by contrast, they have found league success far harder to come by.
Nico Estevez's side are winless in five MLS matches, and their most recent league outing was a goalless stalemate with Vancouver, but that result only highlighted their ongoing issues in the final third.
The Verde and Black have scored just nine goals in 14 MLS games, the lowest tally in the Eastern Conference and the second-lowest across both conferences, with the West's bottom-placed CF Montreal only scoring fewer (eight).
This lack of cutting edge is severely undermining their playoff hopes, and with a three-match losing run on the road where they have conceded nine and scored just two, things do not bode well ahead of their trip to Minnesota.
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Team News
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Minnesota have some injury issues, with Hassani Dotson out with a knee issue and Kipp Keller still recovering from a leg problem.
Twenty-four-year-old midfielder Joseph Rosales will also miss the game due to suspension for accumulated yellow cards.
Austin have their own injury problems as well, with Mikkel Desler sidelined due to a hamstring issue.
Robert Taylor is also out with the same issue, while Dani Pereira is sidelined with a hip flexor.
Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
St Clair; Diaz, Boxall, Romero; Hlongwane, Harvey, Trapp, Markanich; Lod, Pereyra; Oluwaseyi
Austin FC possible starting lineup:
Stuver; Gallagher, Svatok, Hines-Ike, Biro; Wolff, llie, Sabovic; Uzuni, Vazquez, Bukari
We say: Minnesota United 2-0 Austin FC
Minnesota United are brimming with confidence and have built real momentum, particularly at home, this and Austin FC's lack of goals and poor away record makes them unlikely to cause an upset here, making a home win the likely outcome.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
