Los Angeles FC take on Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference of the MLS on Saturday, with the hosts two points ahead of their forthcoming opponents in the table.
However, Salt Lake do have a game in hand, meaning a win would put them in a very strong position in the playoff positions.
Match preview
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Los Angeles have certainly made their mark in the MLS since joining as an expansion team in 2018, qualifying for the playoffs in each of their three seasons so far.
Former United States national team manager Bob Bradley was appointed as the club's inaugural head coach in 2017 and has remained there since, developing a clear team identity to help foster success on the pitch.
His current front three of Jose Cifuentes, Diego Rossi and Carlos Vela has the potential to take the club all the way this season, with Cifuentes scoring in both of their recent wins over Salt Lake and Austin FC.
Another win against Salt Lake on Saturday to extend their winning run to three matches would certainly tighten their grip on a playoff position after a slow start to the campaign by their own high standards.
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Real Salt Lake, meanwhile, failed to qualify for the playoffs last season, so they will be determined to bounce back and reach them this time around.
Despite falling short of the expected aims of a club which won the MLS in 2009 and reached the quarter-finals in 2018 and 2019, Freddy Juarez retained his role as head coach for the current campaign.
Results have certainly picked up, with 16 points from 11 games enough to put them in a playoff position heading into Saturday's trip to Los Angeles.
Juarez and his players will be keen to avenge the recent defeat suffered at home to Bradley's side, with Cifuentes's strike the visitors' only shot on target that day.
A 4-0 win at Vancouver Whitecaps last time out should certainly have improved morale within the squad, especially with star man Damir Kreilach bagging a brace.
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Team News
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Los Angeles will remain without Erik Duenas and Kwadwo Opoku due to ankle and knee injuries respectively.
After receiving a yellow card in the win at Austin, central defender Jesus Murillo will need to be careful to avoid picking up another as he will incur a one-match ban if he does.
Real Salt Lake, meanwhile, are likely to travel without Zack Farnsworth and Jeizon Ramirez due to leg injuries.
Like Murillo on the opposite team, Justin Meram and Pablo Ruiz are only one caution away from receiving a suspension.
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Romero; Kim, Segura, Murillo, Farfan; Blessing, Atuesta, Edwards; Cifuentes; Vela, Rossi
Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Herrera, Glad, Silva, Toia; Ruiz, Luiz; Meram, Kreilach, Rusnak; Wood
We say: Los Angeles FC 2-1 Real Salt Lake
Los Angeles have more quality and decisiveness in attacking areas than Real Salt Lake, which should prove the difference once again.
We expect a tight game to be separated by a moment of magic or two from the likes of Cifuentes, Vela or Rossi, as was the case in the recent meeting at the beginning of July.
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 Los Angeles FC win with a probability of 62.87%. A draw had a probability of 19.9% and a win for Real Salt Lake had a probability of 17.27%.
The most likely scoreline for a Los Angeles FC win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.89%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.49%) and 1-0 (8.78%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.15%), while for a Real Salt Lake win it was 1-2 (4.77%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.9% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 2-1 win for Los Angeles FC in this match.
