Portland Timbers and Colorado Rapids, separated by only one point and one place in the Western Conference, will clash at Providence Park in MLS on Thursday.
The hosts are sixth in the Western Conference with 23 points from 15 matches, while the visitors are seventh in the standings with 22 points from their 15 fixtures.
Match preview
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Portland Timbers have endured a challenging few years in MLS, missing out on the MLS Cup in 2022 and 2023 and exiting in the playoff round in 2024, a sharp contrast to their previous consistency, having qualified for the MLS Cup in each of the five seasons before, including two runner-up finishes.
Phil Neville, appointed ahead of last season, would have been pleased to guide the team to an MLS Cup playoff appearance - their first after two years of absence - though a heavy 5-0 defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps dampened that achievement.
Aiming to build on that finish this season, looking to secure a guaranteed place in the tournament, Portland Timbers have had a fair start to the campaign, winning six, drawing five and losing only four league games, leaving them sixth in the Western Conference standings.
Their form has taken a slight dip in recent outings, however, with the Timbers heading into Thursday's clash having failed to triumph in any of their last four matches, including a 1-0 defeat to San Jose Earthquakes in the US Open Cup round of 16.
Now looking to snap that streak and strengthen their place in the MLS Cup positions, Portland Timbers will host a Colorado Rapids side that are hot on their heels.
The Pids have similarly struggled over the past years, falling from a first-placed Western Conference finish in 2021 (defeated in the MLS Cup quarter-finals) to 10th, 14th and seventh-placed finishes in the three years since.
The seventh-placed finish last term did ensure their return to the MLS Cup, but they suffered a 2-0 defeat to eventual champions Los Angeles Galaxy in the first round - losing 9-1 on aggregate over two legs.
Chris Armas, in charge since November 2023, will be aiming for another MLS Cup appearance this term, with an improved appearance in the competition, and they are on course to achieve that nearing the midway point of the season.
Colorado Rapids have won six, drawn four and lost five of their 15 league outings, including back-to-back 1-0 victories heading into this match, though they are winless in four straight games on the road, with three defeats and one draw.
Armas will be hopeful that their recent winning run can help them snap their away woes, while a victory would lift them above their hosts and potentially into fourth depending on results elsewhere.
However, Portland Timbers have historically dominated this fixture, including five wins, one draw and only one defeat in the last seven encounters between the two teams.
Team News
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Portland Timbers will be without Diego Chara (muscle), James Pantemis (leg), Jonathan Rodriguez (muscle) and Zac McGraw (back) for this match due to ongoing injury issues.
Felipe Mora is their top scorer this season with five goals in 15 league appearances, and the striker will aim to end a five-game goalless run with a likely start on Thursday.
As for Colorado Rapids, Ali Fadal (knee), Cole Bassett (ankle), Rafael Navarro (ankle) and Zack Steffen (abdominal) are all ruled out through injury.
As the Pids have won back-to-back matches heading into this clash, Armas may decide to name a largely unchanged starting 11 in search of a similar result in this one.
Portland Timbers possible starting lineup:
Crepeau; Mosquera, Surman, Zuparic, Fory; Paredes, Ayala; Alves, Costa, Fernandez; Mora
Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Defreitas-Hansen; Cannon, Maxso, Murphy, Travis; Larraz, Atencio; Ku-DiPietro, Yapi, Harris; Mihailovic
We say: Portland Timbers 2-1 Colorado Rapids
While the Pids have won each of their last two matches, Portland Timbers have dominated this fixture in recent history and are unbeaten in the last five meetings at Providence Park, leading us to expect a home triumph.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
