On Saturday, TQL Stadium will host a fixture between one of the biggest surprise stories of the current Major League Soccer campaign, FC Cincinnati, and perhaps the biggest disappointment of this season, the New England Revolution.
The Orange and Blue will have revenge on their minds this weekend after the Revs knocked them out of the U.S. Open Cup last week with an emphatic 5-1 victory.
Match preview
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The MLS bottom feeders, for years, have shown a tremendous amount of character lately, winning four straight domestic games to move into fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Pat Noonan has instilled a belief within this group, utilizing his marquee attackers by putting them in the best positions to succeed.
Among the many flaws in their opening three campaigns was an inability to defend effectively, leading the league when it comes to goals allowed in 2019 (75) and 2021 (74).
Their play behind the ball has been a lot tidier over the past few weeks, though, conceding only two goals in their current unbeaten run, including back-to-back clean sheets against Toronto (2-0) and Minnesota (1-0).
Cincinnati are on their longest winning run in club history (four), and a fifth straight triumph this weekend would mark a first-ever win against the Revs, as well as the first time this team have ever won consecutive fixtures at home.
Sometimes, you have to be good to be lucky, and the Orange and Blue experienced a sprinkle of each against Chicago, doing a splendid job of pressing in the attacking third, forcing an own goal from Rafael Czichos, plus a giveaway from Gabriel Slonina, which led to the winning goal.
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Over the past few weeks, we have seen the New England team, which we became accustomed to seeing a season ago, building out of the back, while showing a good mixture of speed on the break combined with elegance in possession.
The unique set-up that manager Bruce Arena employs at the beginning of a match is similar to what we have seen overseas at clubs like RB Salzburg, which can come with its share of strengths and flaws.
Traditionally, the Revolution like to engage one side of the field more than another, getting their fullbacks and wingers in isolation on inside channels, drawing more defenders to them, thus creating an opening for their attackers.
The downside is that it leaves one side of the field wide open for teams to burn them in transition, with New England conceding multiple goals in seven matches this season mainly due to that aggressive style of play.
Unbeaten in their previous four matches in all competitions, we have seen them show a lot more quality in the final third, with eight goals in their last four MLS affairs, though they remain below the playoff line in 12th with 12 points.
Another reason we are seeing a resurgence of sorts in Greater Boston has to do with the skill shown by their top attacking midfielders and strikers, who at the moment are playing at an all-star level.
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Team News
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Luciano Acosta scored his 12th career goal for Cincinnati in their victory over the Fire, moving him into a tie with Brandon Vazquez for the most all-time in franchise history, while Brenner, their leading goalscorer from a year ago, continues to search for his first of 2022.
Cincy are missing a few players due to injury at the moment, such as Alec Kann (lower body), Yuya Kubo (ankle), Ronald Matarrita (ankle surgery), plus Ray Gaddis and Allan Cruz (leg).
Only one player who started in their U.S. Open Cup defeat to New England was in the opening lineup versus the Fire, with Alvaro Barreal playing in attacking midfield, while Arquimides Ordonez and Haris Medunjanin each came on as substitutes last Saturday for a second successive domestic encounter.
Adam Buksa has come to life in New England with the Polish striker extending his goalscoring streak to six consecutive games in all competitions, notching a brace in each of his last two fixtures, while Carles Gil has an assist in four successive league encounters, the longest streak in MLS this season.
Gustavo Bou and Jon Bell remain sidelined for the Revolution with upper leg injuries, while Arena will not be able to count on Matt Polster this weekend, with the 28-year-old American being suspended after picking up another yellow card.
Future Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner achieved another milestone for New England as he and Brandon Bye made their 100th career starts in MLS a week ago, while Henry Kessler is halfway towards that mark, making his 50th start with the Revs on Sunday.
FC Cincinnati possible starting lineup:
Celentano; Nelson, Murphy, Hagglund, Powell; Moreno, Nwobodo; Ordonez, Acosta, Badji; Vazquez
New England Revolution possible starting lineup:
Turner; Jones, Kessler, Farrell, Bye; Maciel, Traustason; Rivera, Gil, Lletget; Buksa
We say: FC Cincinnati 2-3 New England Revolution
Both of these teams like to play a wide-open style of football while being quick in transition, so there should be many glorious scoring chances on either end, with each possessing more than enough quality to bury those opportunities.
The Revs should have a slight edge because their midfielders are more multi-faceted, plus New England have experienced a lot more of these close, high-scoring games and usually find a way to come out on top.
For additional data used by our team to analyse our suggested result please click here.
