One of the hottest teams in Major League Soccer at the moment will put their eight-match unbeaten streak on the line on Tuesday as the San Jose Earthquakes play host to Minnesota United at PayPal Park.
The Goonies drew 0-0 with the Vancouver Whitecaps over the weekend, while the Loons had their five-game unbeaten run snapped, losing 1-0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Match preview
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They continue to pile up points in the standings, but the Quakes are still trying to get above the playoff line in the Western Conference, currently in ninth with 22 points after 19 games.
On Friday, Matias Almeyda thought that his team lacked energy against Vancouver, while failing to create a lot of clear-cut opportunities, although they had a chance to win the match late, but Cade Cowell fired his shot wide from point-blank range.
Their recent form has put them back in the playoff conversation, though Almeyda says that they are thinking more about how to keep winning on a game-by-game basis rather than how to qualify for the post season at this stage.
The back three looked as good as they have all season, conceding only three shots on target, although they were facing a Caps side who were missing some of their best-attacking threats.
After some early success against the Loons, winning their first four games against them in MLS, the tables have been turned lately, with Minnesota going unbeaten against the Quakes in their previous four fixtures heading into their match on Tuesday.
San Jose are unbeaten in their last three home games, although they have conceded more shots on target than they would like over that stretch, 14 to be exact.
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Another side that have recovered nicely from a slow start to this campaign would be Minnesota United, sitting comfortably in fifth place in the Western Conference with 26 points.
They were unlucky to come away with nothing on Saturday versus the Galaxy, as they fired six shots on target and created several quality scoring opportunities but could not solve Jonathan Klinsmann, who was splendid in goal in his first game of the year.
It was the first time that this team had failed to score at home since a 1-0 defeat to Austin at the beginning of May, when they were still without a point on the year.
Lately, Adrian Heath has seen his team have to chase a game in search of an equaliser despite starting strongly, conceding the opening goal in four of their last five matches, although they were able to recover and earn a result in all but one of those games.
The Loons conceded only one shot on target against LA, but that was enough to give the Galaxy the victory in a game that could have put some distance between themselves and the other Western Conference sides on the outside of the playoff race.
As it stands, Minnesota are still in a playoff position, but a loss to the Quakes could tighten the gap between themselves and the other teams behind them at the moment.
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Team News
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San Jose continue to be without Matt Bersano and Tommy Thompson with left knee injuries, Benji Kikanovic has a right thigh issue, as does Luciano Abecasis, while Jacob Akanyirige is out with a left lower leg injury.
The all-time leading goalscorer in MLS, Chris Wondolowski, needs just one more appearance to reach 400 in his career, while JT Marcinkowski earned his third clean sheet of the season and the seventh of his career on Friday.
Jeremy Ebobisse made his first start for his new club, playing the full 90 minutes, and Andy Rios earned his 50th cap in MLS, appearing as a substitute in the 77th minute on Friday.
The Loons were missing their top goalscorer Robin Lod in their last match after he suffered an injury in training, while they remain without Franco Fragapane and Jacori Hayes with unknown injuries and Michael Boxall was an unused substitute after recovering from a left thigh injury.
The Ramon Abila experiment is over in Minnesota, as the man loaned to the Loons from Boca Juniors was put on MLS waivers and claimed by DC United.
Heath made one change to the starting 11 on Saturday as Jan Gregus replaced the injured Lod, with Adrien Hunou playing as the lone striker and Emanuel Reynoso just in behind.
San Jose Earthquakes possible starting lineup:
Marcinkowski; Nathan, Alanis, M. Lopez; Cowell, Judson, Yueill, Fierro; Wondolowski, Ebobisse; J. Lopez
Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
Miller; Metanire, Kallman, Boxall, Gasper; Gregus, Trapp; McMaster, Reynoso, Finlay; Agudelo
We say: San Jose Earthquakes 0-1 Minnesota United
The Goonies struggled to create scoring opportunities against one of the worst teams in the league in Vancouver, and they have gone goalless in three home fixtures this season.
Despite losing their last fixture, Minnesota have been one of the most improved teams in Major League Soccer who can score on the road and at home, and they have plenty of threats outside of Lod, with six different players scoring multiple goals this season.
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 San Jose Earthquakes win with a probability of 50.41%. A win for Minnesota United had a probability of 26.34% and a draw had a probability of 23.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a San Jose Earthquakes win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.61%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (8.77%) and 2-0 (7.82%). The likeliest Minnesota United win was 1-2 (6.62%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.77%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 10.8% likelihood.
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