In the first game of their difficult four-day stay in Los Angeles, FC Dallas are scheduled to take on Los Angeles Galaxy on Thursday followed by a match against Los Angeles FC on Sunday.
The visitors are 12th in the Western Conference after 13 games, while the hosts are flying high in third with 25 points from 15 outings in the MLS.
Match preview
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Having recorded back-to-back finishes in the MLS Cup playoff positions, Dallas will be far from pleased with the beginning to their season, which currently sees them sitting in 12th place.
Dallas did kick off the season with a 2-1 win over San Jose Earthquakes, but an abysmal run saw them follow that up with no wins in seven, five of those being defeats.
An eventual 2-0 victory against Houston Dynamo in the first leg of the Texan derby has seemingly got Nico Estevez's men back into gear, losing just one of their last seven and taking four victories in that time.
Despite the improvement in results, Estevez will be disappointed with their draw against Western Conference leaders Real Salt Lake in their last outing as his side squandered a three-goal lead to eventually draw 3-3 after a 98th-minute equaliser for the Claret and Cobalts.
While the final result would have been frustrating for the Burn, they will be able to take plenty of confidence into the upcoming game with third-placed LA Galaxy after showing they could go toe-to-toe with the leaders.
Dallas have been the dominant side in this fixture in recent seasons, going unbeaten in all of the last six meetings with five victories in that time, last losing to the Galaxy in July 2021.
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The hosts have been much better this campaign compared to recent years though, currently sitting third in the conference with 25 points from their opening 15 fixtures.
LA Galaxy are one of the most successful sides in MLS history with a record five MLS Cups but they have failed to live up to those high expectations in recent seasons, missing out on the MLS Cup playoffs in five of the last seven years after only failing to qualify on three occasions in the 20 years prior.
Last campaign was their worst since claiming the MLS Wooden Spoon in 2017, as they ended the season in 26th place and second from bottom in the Western Conference.
Six wins in their initial 15 outings this year is just two fewer than they managed across the entirety of 2023, resulting in them already having just 11 fewer points than they accumulated in 19 more games.
Greg Vanney's men brought an end to a worrying run of five matches without victory as they beat Houston 2-1 in their last outing, and they will be looking to follow that up with another three points here.
Team News
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Should there be no new injury setbacks, the hosts will enter this match with just a solitary player unavailable.
Joseph Paintsil, who has excelled in his debut campaign at the Galaxy with four goals and four assists in 13 matches, will be unavailable for the third game in a row after sustaining a hamstring injury that will keep him out until next month.
The visitors, on the other hand, will be unable to call upon the services of five players for this one.
Alan Velasco and Geovane Jesus are both set to remain on the treatment table with cruciate ligament injuries, while last season's top scorer Jesus Ferreira is also out with an injury.
Amet Korca and Paxton Pomykal will also be unavailable for this one due to injury issues.
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Yamane, Yoshida, Caceres, Aude; Delgado, Brugman, Puig; Pec, Joveljic, Fagundez
Dallas possible starting lineup:
Paes; Ibeagha, Tafari, Junqua; Twumasi, Fraser, Illarramendi, Farfan; Arriola, Delgado; Musa
We say: Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 Dallas
Dallas may have enjoyed this fixture in recent seasons, going undefeated with five wins in the last six, but LA Galaxy's start to the campaign has them as the favourites heading into this one, and we expect the hosts to come out triumphant here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
