Monday, June 23

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Sports Mole previews Wednesday's MLS Playoffs clash between New England Revolution and Nashville SC, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Two teams experiencing contrasting spells will face off this midweek when New England Revolution welcome Nashville SC for Major League Soccer encounter.

The hosts have found victories hard to come by with just one win from their last seven outings across all competitions, while the Boys in Gold have prevailed in six of their previous nine.

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Match preview

There has been a slight upturn from last season, but New England are currently on an unconvincing path in the league and appear to be edging towards another MLS playoff miss.

The Revolution finished 14th in the Eastern Conference in 2024, and although they are currently three places better off, their return of 23 points from 18 games highlights a campaign that has been stifled by inconsistency.

A dismal start saw New England fail to win any of their opening four league fixtures (D1, L3), before picking up their first three points with a 2-1 triumph over New York Red Bulls, only to be dragged back by a 1-0 defeat at Cincinnati on April 6.

That setback did not derail their momentum entirely, as Caleb Porter’s men stitched together a promising run between the remainder of that month and early May, claiming four straight victories in the top flight before sealing passage in the US Open Cup by edging past Rhode Island.

However, the tide soon turned as the Boston-based club went five games without a win — a stretch that included elimination from the cup following a 3-1 loss to Chicago Fire, with the league run featuring four consecutive draws. 

Although a convincing 3-0 victory away at CF Montreal hinted at a possible resurgence, Cincinnati returned to throw a wrench in that momentum once again, with a 1-0 defeat last time out ending the Revs’s nine-game unbeaten run in the MLS.

That loss marked a second straight home loss for New England across all competitions and their fourth in seven league matches on their own turf this season (W2, D1), meaning Porter’s men will need to sharpen up as they prepare to step out in front of their supporters again.

From an attacking and defensive standpoint, the Revolution have been solid if unspectacular, scoring 19 and conceding 15, and they will look to find the right balance at both ends against an opponent they have had the upper hand over in recent meetings.

New England have won three of their last five clashes against Nashville in the MLS and have kept clean sheets in all four home league fixtures against this midweek’s visitors.

Nashville, on the other hand, will fancy their chances of rewriting that record given their sharpness in front of goal on the road, having failed to score in only two of their away matches in the top flight this season.

Aside from their first trip, where B. J. Callaghan’s men fell 2-0 to New York Red Bulls, the Black and Gold have only drawn a blank once more on their travels — a 3-0 loss at Seattle Sounders on April 20. 

Since that setback, Nashville have gone 11 matches unbeaten across all competitions — with nine of those in the MLS — a stretch that features five wins and four draws.

Strikingly, Callaghan’s side have struck exactly two goals in six of their last seven matches, including a 2-0 success at Chicago Fire last time out, which marked their second victory in six away league outings (D1, L3).

That result lifted Nashville’s tally to 32 points from 18 games, placing them fifth in the Supporters’ Shield standings and third in the Eastern Conference, meaning the Black and Gold are well on course to right the wrongs of the previous campaign where they missed the playoffs after finishing 13th.

 

New England Revolution MLS form:

New England Revolution form (all competitions):

Nashville SC MLS form:

Nashville SC form (all competitions):

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Team News

New England finished their previous encounter without any fresh injury concerns, so head coach Porter has a near full complement to choose from.

Will Sands and Brayan Ceballos made returns from injury against Cincinnati, with the former coming on for a brief four-minute cameo, while the latter started before being replaced just after the hour mark. 

However, at least two players will remain unavailable this midweek, with Luca Langoni yet to recover from a hamstring problem and Leonardo Campana still nursing a muscle issue.

Forward Ignatius Ganago remains doubtful and could miss a second straight outing, while centre-back Mamadou Fofana is suspended after receiving his fifth yellow card of the season.

Nashville SC remain without United States defender Walker Zimmerman and Canadian winger Jacob Shaffelburg, who are both on international duty at the ongoing CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Tyler Boyd and Julian Gaines are also ruled out due to injury, while midfielder Edvard Tagseth is suspended following an accumulation of bookings.

 

Twenty-six-year-old Sam Surridge has been in explosive form, scoring in the previous outing to make it six goals in his last four top-flight games, and he now has 12 from 18 appearances this season — a tally that will surely make him one to watch for the Revolution backline.

New England Revolution possible starting lineup:

Ivacic; Ceballos, Hughes, Beason; Feingold, Yusuf, Polster, Miller; Diaz, Gil, Chancalay 

Nashville SC possible starting lineup:

Willis; Bauer, Maher, Palacios, Lovitz; Corcoran, Brugman; Muyl; Qasem; Surridge, Mukhtar

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We say: New England Revolution 1-1 Nashville SC

 

Considering their strong recent run, this could be the moment Nashville finally end their scoring drought at Gillette Stadium, but with their tendency to stumble when trying to build on away wins — having yet to win back-to-back league matches on the road this season — a share of the spoils looks the most realistic outcome given their renewed resilience.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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