Fresh off the back of away defeats last weekend, Houston Dynamo and Vancouver Whitecaps lock horns at the BBVA Compass Stadium on Sunday.
Both sides have had inconsistent starts to their respective Major League Soccer campaigns, winning just two of their opening six matches.
Match preview
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Houston's three-game unbeaten run came to an end last weekend when they were defeated 3-1 away at Colorado Rapids.
Samuel Vines broke the deadlock for the Rapids just before the half-hour mark and then Diego Rubio doubled the home side's lead in the 36th minute.
Christian Ramirez pulled one back for the Orange Crush just three minutes later, but Colorado's two-goal cushion was quickly restored in the 42nd minute when Dynamo goalkeeper Marko Maric failed to clear his lines and kicked the ball straight at the on-rushing Cole Bassett, who stuck out a leg and tapped in from close range.
That result was Houston's second defeat of the campaign and has seen them slip down to sixth in the Western Conference, one point above Sunday's opponents Vancouver.
Games involving Tab Ramos's side have recently seen plenty of goals; the Orange Crush have failed to score in just one of their last 12 MLS matches but have also kept just one clean sheet in the same period.
Dynamo have won five of their seven home matches against Vancouver, although all five victories have been decided by just one goal.
Another tight game is expected on Sunday, but a victory for Houston could see them move as high as third in the Western Conference, one point clear of Sporting Kansas City who they face on home soil next week.
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Vancouver suffered their heaviest defeat of the season when they lost 3-0 away at Sporting Kansas City last weekend.
Alan Pulido's brace and a strike from Daniel Salloi helped secure all three points for the hosts, inflicting defeat on the Whitecaps for the third time this campaign.
Marc Dos Santos's side have now failed to win any of their opening three MLS games away from home and have slipped outside of the top seven, down to eighth place.
Accumulating points away from BC Place has proved challenging for Vancouver, having lost 10 of their last 12 matches on the road, dating back to the resumption of the regular season in August; they have also struggled to find the net in this period, scoring just five times with two from the penalty spot.
Indeed, all five goals scored by the Whitecaps so far this campaign have been from set pieces, with only New York City FC (7) having scored more from dead-ball situations. Vancouver are currently the only MLS team who have yet to score from open play this season, while every other side have scored at least two.
The Whitecaps have won three of their last five meetings with Houston and another victory would see them climb above Sunday's opponents, moving them as high as third in the Western Conference.
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Team News
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Houston Dynamo defenders Sam Junqua and Ethan Bartlow remain out with concussion, so Boniek Garcia is set to start alongside Tim Parker in the heart of the defence.
Forward Tyler Pasher is also ruled out with an abdominal injury, which will likely see Maximiliano Urruti supported by Ramirez and Fafa Picault in attack.
Ramos is expected to revert to a four-man backline which could see right-back Zarek Valentin recalled to the first XI at the expense of Jose Bizama and Adam Lundqvist retain his place at left-back.
Vancouver centre-back Erik Godoy, who has recovered from a calf strain, came on as a substitute in the defeat to Sporting Kansas City and will be in contention to start his first game of the season on Sunday.
Whitecaps will still be without full-back Ali Adnan as the club continue to sort out his visa situation.
Vermes is unlikely to make too many changes to his starting lineup, but midfielder Russell Teibert could be brought in at the expense of Ryan Raposo.
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Maric; Valentin, Parker, Garcia, Lundqvist; Jones, Corona, Rodriguez; Picault, Urruti, Ramirez
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Crepeau; Nerwinski, Godoy, Veselinovic, Gutierrez; Caicedo, Bikel, Alexandre, Teibert; Cavallini, Dajome
We say: Houston Dynamo 2-1 Vancouver Whitecaps
The last six meetings between Houston and Vancouver have seen both teams find the net, with at least three goals scored in each encounter.
Goals are to be expected once again on Sunday and we feel that the hosts have enough to secure all three points at the BBVA Compass Stadium.
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 Houston Dynamo win with a probability of 66.42%. A draw had a probability of 19.8% and a win for Vancouver Whitecaps had a probability of 13.82%.
The most likely scoreline for a Houston Dynamo win was 2-0 with a probability of 11.83%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (11.38%) and 2-1 (9.77%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.4%), while for a Vancouver Whitecaps win it was 0-1 (4.52%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Houston Dynamo would win this match.
