Seattle Sounders will look to extend their unbeaten MLS record to 10 matches when they play host to Real Salt Lake on Wednesday evening.
However, the visitors have also gone four fixtures without suffering defeat, setting up an intriguing contest in the Western Conference.
Match preview
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When the Sounders went behind to rivals Los Angeles Galaxy, there was a real possibility that the final unbeaten record in the MLS was about to come to an end.
Goals from Yeimar Gomez and Raul Ruidiaz soon changed the course of the contest, however, helping Brian Schmetzer's side establish a four-point lead at the top while also possessing a game in hand.
With no more than two goals being netted in their last six contests, nobody associated with the Washington-based outfit will be getting carried away with their early season form.
Nevertheless, they remain the one team in the Western Conference who have maintained consistency in the long term, keeping the pressure on the chasing pack.
On the back of defeating one of their rivals, the Sounders face another difficult test in the form of Real Salt Lake, who have lost just one of their opening seven fixtures.
Beating the Sounders later this week and prevailing in their two games in hand would take Freddy Juarez's team level on points with the pacesetters.
Achieving wins in each of those contests appears unrealistic at this stage, but the Claret and Cobalt will be aiming high after exceeding expectations during the opening period to the season.
After recording three draws in succession, Real Salt Lake claimed a 3-1 success against Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night.
Juarez watched his side score two goals in the closing stages, the second coming from Damir Kreilach, who now has five strikes and three assists from just seven appearances.
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Team News
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Schmetzer has options in his Sounders squad if he wants to introduce fresh legs after the victory over LA Galaxy.
Will Bruin could return to form a front two with Ruidiaz, potentially taking the place of Fredy Montero in the process.
Teenager Danny Leyva is also an alternative for one of Kelyn Rowe or Joao Paulo in the middle of the pitch.
Having had an extra day of recovery, Juarez may stick with the Real Salt Lake XI which started against the Whitecaps.
However, Erik Holt and Justin Meram both made impacts from the substitutes' bench, putting them in contention for an opportunity in the team.
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Cleveland; Gomez, O'Neill, Cissoko; A.Roldan, Rowe, Paulo, Smith; C.Roldan; Ruidiaz, Bruin
Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Herrera, Glad, Silva, Brody; Besler, Ruiz; Julio, Kreilach, Rusnak; Rubin
We say: Seattle Sounders 2-1 Real Salt Lake
While convincing victories for the Sounders have been few and far between, you cannot ignore their consistency when it comes to getting points on the board.
Real Salt Lake will provide a tough test for the leaders, but we still expect a narrow win for the home side.
Top tip
Darren Plant
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 Seattle Sounders win with a probability of 56.8%. A draw had a probability of 23.3% and a win for Real Salt Lake had a probability of 19.91%.
The most likely scoreline for a Seattle Sounders win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.72%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.37%) and 2-1 (9.8%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.07%), while for a Real Salt Lake win it was 0-1 (6.26%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Seattle Sounders would win this match.
