In their first game back after a three-week international break, Los Angeles FC and Houston Dynamo battle in Major League Soccer action on Sunday.
The hosts currently find themselves in ninth place in the Eastern Conference after a fairly underwhelming start to the campaign, but they would leapfrog their opponents with a victory.
Match preview
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Los Angeles FC return to action having suffered a disappointing defeat to New York City FC in their final game before the break.
Bob Bradley's side took the lead early in the second half through Corey Baird, but Jesus Medina hit an equaliser for the visitors before Ismael Tajouri netted the winner in the 90th minute to snatch all three points.
That stopped a potential winning run from building, after they had previously defeated Colorado Rapids 2-1, with star man Diego Rossi scoring a brace.
Having failed to get going so far this season, Bradley's men find themselves outside of the playoff places in ninth spot, although they could quickly climb the Eastern Conference table with a win on Sunday, as their opponents in fifth place only sit three points ahead.
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Despite a fairly inconsistent start of their own, Houston Dynamo currently occupy fifth spot, having dropped out of the top four after the final game prior to the international break.
Last time out, Tab Ramos's side took the lead against Sporting Kansas City through Matias Vera, but the game was turned on its head in the second half as goals from Gianluca Busio, Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda put the hosts 3-1 up, and Maximiliano Urruti's 93rd-minute goal was not enough to salvage a result as they fell to a 3-2 loss.
That followed a 2-1 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps, as Memo Rodriguez opened the scoring before Urruti again got on the scoresheet on the stroke of half time.
With 11 points from their opening eight matches, the Texas outfit are on track for a finish in the playoffs, but that could quickly change if they are to suffer another defeat on Sunday, given how tight the middle of the Eastern Conference is, with their opponents just three points behind.
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Team News
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Los Angeles FC come into Sunday's game without defender Diego Palacios, who is away on international duty for Ecuador at the Copa America.
Their line will be led by talented forward Diego Rossi, who has recently attracted Premier League interest, having netted three goals in his opening five league games.
He will be joined in a potent front three by Corey Baird and Carlos Vela, who has netted 52 goals in 70 appearances for the Los Angeles outfit.
While the Houston Dynamo squad has not been hit by the Copa America, they do have several injuries to deal with, as defenders Sam Junqua and Ethan Bartlow are both sidelined.
Forward Tyler Pasher is also expected to miss out through injury, having only made four appearances so far this campaign.
Maximiliano Urruti will lead the line with confidence, having netted in both of the last two games to take his tally to four goals and an assist in eight MLS games this season.
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Sisnieg; Blackmon, Murillo, Segura, Farfan; Cifuentes, Atuesta, Kaye; Vela, Rossi, Baird
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Maric; Valentin, Parker, Garcia, Lundqvist; Vera, Jones, Corona; Rodriguez, Urruti, Picault
We say: Los Angeles FC 2-1 Houston Dynamo
Although Los Angeles FC are yet to fully click this season, they have undoubted quality in the side, and should come good sooner rather than later.
On this occasion, we see them stepping up to secure an important victory, leapfrogging Houston and boosting their playoff bid.
Top tip
Sam Varley
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 Los Angeles FC win with a probability of 59.28%. A win for Houston Dynamo had a probability of 20.8% and a draw had a probability of 19.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Los Angeles FC win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.56%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (7.6%) and 3-1 (7.1%). The likeliest Houston Dynamo win was 1-2 (5.41%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (8.59%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 8.6% likelihood.
