The latest round of matches in the 2022 Major League Soccer season sees FC Cincinnati and Nashville SC square off at the TQL Stadium on Sunday.
Both teams head into this one off the back of defeats in their respective last outings, and they will be looking to bounce back as soon as possible.
Match preview
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FC Cincinnati were beaten for the first time in seven games following a 2-0 loss versus Columbus Crew at the Lower.com Field on Monday.
Pat Noonan's men went behind to Cucho's first-half opener before Lucas Zelarayan put the game to bed from the penalty spot in the 86th minute.
Consequently, the Orange and Blue have dropped to seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings and are now just a point clear of their nearest challengers in the race for the last playoff spot.
Awaiting them next is the task of facing off against an opposing side with just one defeat in the eight previous meetings between the teams since 2018.
Currently with the second-worst home record this term, Sunday's hosts will be keen to turn their fortunes around on home turf starting with this weekend's encounter.
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Nashville SC had little to show for a highly-spirited display in Monday's narrow 2-1 defeat versus Los Angeles FC at the Geodis Park.
Gary Smith's men responded to Cristian Arango's opener through Hany Mukhtar to go in level at the break but Jose Cifuentes was on target in the first minute of the second period to decide the contest.
Having managed to pick up just four of the last 12 points available, the Tennessee-based outfit have slipped to fifth place in the Western Conference.
Off the back of a 4-1 thrashing in their last outing on the road, Sunday's visitors will be wary of being picked apart once again away from home.
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Team News
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Dominique Badji remains sidelined with a thigh problem, and the 29-year-old is not expected to be available to feature for FC Cincinnati.
The hosts will also be without the services of Ronald Matarrita and Junior Moreno, who are nursing knee and muscle injuries respectively.
Brandon Vazquez has found the back of the net in each of his last two home appearances and will be looking to deliver the goods once again.
Anibal Godoy is ruled out of action for Nashville on Sunday, as the Panamanian midfielder continues to battle with a hamstring injury.
With seven goals in his last six outings for the away side, Hany Mukhtar is definitely one to look out for as he seeks to continue his goalscoring exploits.
FC Cincinnati possible starting lineup:
Celentano; Nelson, Murphy, Hagglund, Gaddis; Nwobodo, Cruz; Barreal, Brenner, Kubo; Vazquez
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Miller, Zimmerman, Maher, Lovitz; Muyl, Anunga, McCarty, Leal; Mukhtar, Sapong
We say: FC Cincinnati 1-1 Nashville SC
There is very little to separate the sides heading into this one, and we expect a closely-contested affair with honours split evenly at the end of the 90 minutes.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Adepoju Marvellous
