Two sides operating at opposite ends of the Major League Soccer table come together on Sunday morning as Minnesota United host Portland Timbers at Allianz Field.
The hosts are currently second in the Western Conference with two games in hand on those around them, eight points above the visitors in 11th place.
Match preview
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A disappointing last campaign saw Minnesota Utd fail to make the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time since 2018, resulting in the sacking of long-term manager Adrian Heath, who had been in charge since joining MLS as an expansion team in 2017.
An unusually long process of replacing Heath saw the club hire two interim managers before eventually appointing Eric Ramsay, who took over after three games of the season.
Ramsay's first match in charge went perfectly to plan as they ran out 3-0 winners against Los Angeles FC, but two defeats and a draw followed in the next three.
Minnesota Utd have bounced back in their recent outings, securing victories in three and a draw in another, propelling them to second place in the Western Conference.
While the rest of the top six have all played 13 times, Ramsay's men have only taken to the field on 11 occasions so far, allowing them to move to the top of the table with wins in their games in hand.
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Portland are next up for Minnesota, and Phil Neville's team come into this one having put an end to their winless streak with a 4-2 victory over San Jose Earthquakes last time out.
Neville's start to life at Portland went excellently as they won 4-1 on the opening day, followed by a draw with DC United and another victory against New York City FC.
However, the Timbers then embarked on a nine-game winless streak that had them second from bottom in the Western Conference, only FC Dallas sitting on fewer points at that point.
A crucial victory against San Jose, which saw Portland come from two goals down at half time to win 4-2, has pushed Neville's men into 11th and within three points of the MLS Cup playoff qualification spots.
Neville will be hoping to build on that positive performance and result in the upcoming encounter with Minnesota, whom Portland failed to beat in any of the meetings last season.
Team News
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The hosts are expected to be without no fewer than five players for this encounter with Portland.
Hassani Dotson and Moses Nyeman have both been ruled out with thigh injuries, with Hugo Bacharach also out after suffering a severe knee problem in April.
Jordan Adebayo-Smith is expected to remain on the sidelines until later this month due to an ankle injury, while Emanuel Reynoso is also unavailable due to off-field issues.
As for the visitors, leg injuries for both Claudio Bravo and Miguel Araujo have ruled them out for this one.
Marvin Loria is not expected to make a return until early next month after sustaining a knee injury in late February.
Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
St Clair; Arriaga, Boxall, Tapias; Taylor, Trapp, Lod, Rosales; Hlongwane, Oluwaseyi, Jeong
Portland Timbers possible starting lineup:
Crepeau; Zuparic, E Miller, K Miller; Mosquera, Chara, Evander, Rodriguez; Moreno, Mora, Alves
We say: Minnesota United 2-1 Portland Timbers
Portland may be high on confidence after a fantastic comeback victory during midweek, but Ramsay's men have proved to be a difficult team to beat in their matches this season.
Minnesota have won both the last two meetings between these sides, while they have not lost at home in this fixture in any of the last seven, leading us to believe the hosts will be victorious in this one.
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Ellis Stevens
