Current MLS champions Los Angeles Galaxy will host Orlando City at the Dignity Health Sports Park this weekend in their latest Major League Soccer fixture.
The home side will be looking to arrest their sluggish start to the 2025 campaign, after failing to register a win in five matches, while the visitors will go out in search of their first away win in the league since October.
Match preview
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LA Galaxy's start to the 2025 season has been slow and uninspiring, with no wins in five league fixtures.
Having emerged as champions last season, Greg Vanney is under immense pressure to get the Los Angeles outfit back on track.
The home side won their final five MLS fixtures of 2024, scoring 18 goals to boot, but the same cannot be said of the Los Galacticos in the new campaign.
Although it is still early days, the Galaxy defence have let them down, with 10 goals conceded in their five matches so far this season, and half of those recorded in their last two outings in front of their fans.
The attacking statistics also do not make for good reading for the home side, with a paltry four goals scored in five fixtures, compared to 12 plundered in the same number of encounters at the start of last season.
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Elsewhere, Orlando City will be in a confident mood ahead of Sunday's clash in California after earning a resounding 4-1 win against DC United last weekend.
That victory took their tally to seven points from five matches to sit ninth in the standings of the Eastern Conference.
Having earned their second triumph of the season, the visitors will be looking to claim consecutive wins for the first time this term.
However, their form on the road leaves much to be desired, with no league victory away from home in five months.
Nevertheless, they will bank on their impressive record of three wins in five meetings against the hosts as they go into this encounter.
Team News
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American defender John Nelson is currently suffering from a hamstring injury, and Sunday's fixture will come too soon for the 26-year-old, while fellow defender Mauricio Cuevas is sidelined with a muscular problem.
Lucas Sanabria will have to face a late fitness test to ascertain his readiness for this fixture, but Riqui Puig, Marco Reus and Joseph Paintsil are all ruled out.
For the visitors, Wilder Cartagena has been out with a tendon injury, and he will subsequently be absent from the travelling party.
Yutaro Tsukada has been battling a knee injury, so he will not be available for the Lions on Sunday.
Flavian Loyola's torn muscle will also prevent him from turning out for Oscar Pareja's team, but Marco Pasalic, who has five goal involvements, is available to lead the line.
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Yamane, Jorgensen, Yoshida, Aude; Wynder, Cerrillo, Lepley; Pec, Ramirez, Fagundez
Orlando City possible starting lineup:
Otero; Schlegel, Santos, Jansson, Freeman; Araujo, Atuesta; Angulo, Ojeda, Pasalic; Muriel
We say: Los Angeles Galaxy 1-1 Orlando City
After a successful campaign last term, the home side have found the competition much tougher this season.
On the contrary, Orlando City have enjoyed a much better start to the season, and given their recent record against the hosts, we are predicting that the match will end in a 1-1 draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
