Nashville SC will be seeking to pick up a fourth home victory on the bounce when they play host to Atlanta United at the GEODIS Park on Saturday.
The Five Stripes, meanwhile, will head into the game seeking to get one over the hosts, having failed to win any of the last five meetings between the sides since August 2020.
Match preview
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Nashville turned in a performance of the highest quality as they edged out high-flying CF Montreal 2-1 when the sides squared off on Thursday.
After falling behind to goals from Alex Muyl and Hany Mukhtar, Kei Kamara pulled one back for Wilfried Nancy's men in the 55th minute, but the hosts held firm to see out the victory.
Prior to that, Nashville saw their three-game unbeaten run come to an end on May 15, when they fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Houston Dynamo courtesy of goals from Adalberto Carrasquilla and Darwin Quintero.
Gary Smith's side have now won each of their last three home games, scoring seven goals and conceding three, while they are unbeaten in all but one of their last 22 home outings since a 1-0 defeat against FC Dallas in November 2020.
Nashville have won five, drawn three and lost four of their 12 games this season to collect 18 points and sit sixth in the Western Conference standings, five points off first-placed Austin FC.
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Meanwhile, Atlanta United failed to find their feet last time out as they played out a 2-2 draw with New England Revolution at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
After falling behind to Thiago Almada's 15th-minute opener, the Revs upped the ante and turned the game on its head courtesy of a brace from Polish forward Adam Buksa, but Luiz Araujo struck three minutes after the hour mark to hand the hosts a share of the spoils.
Prior to that, Gonzalo Pineda's men suffered a round-of-32 exit from the US Open Cup courtesy of a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Saturday's hosts when the sides locked horns on May 12.
With 15 points from 11 games, Atlanta United are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, four points above last-placed Chicago Fire, albeit with one game in hand.
The Five Stripes head into the weekend on a run of four consecutive defeats on the road across all competitions, scoring four goals and shipping eight since a 1-0 victory at DC United on April 3.
While Atlanta United will be looking to end this dry spell, next up is the stern test of taking on an opposing side who they have failed to defeat in each of their last five attempts, losing twice and picking up three draws since a 2-0 win back in 2020.
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Team News
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Nashville will take to the pitch without the American duo of midfielder Irakoze Donasiyano and defender Robert Castellanos, who are recuperating from thigh and ankle injuries respectively.
Costa Rican midfielder Randall Leal has also been ruled out through injury, while Teal Bunbury continues his journey to full fitness after suffering a knee problem back in March.
Atlanta United's duo of Brad Guzan and Dylan Castanheira have been sidelined through Achilles tendon injuries, while Venezuelan forward Josef Martinez picked up a knee problem back in April.
The Five Stripes will also be without the experience of veteran midfielder Osvaldo Alonso after the 36-year-old picked up an ACL injury in the game against DC United on April 3.
American defender Miles Robinson is set to sit out his third consecutive game after coming off injured 18 minutes into the game versus Chicago Fire two Saturdays ago.
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Maher, Zimmerman, Romney; Muyl, Haakenson, McCarty, Anunga, Lovitz; Sapong, Mukhtar
Atlanta United possible starting lineup:
Shuttleworth; Lennon, Franco, John, Gutman; Ibarra, Rossetto; Almada, Moreno, Araujo; Cisneros
We say: Nashville SC 2-1 Atlanta United
Nashville have been solid on home turf, picking up three wins and one draw from their last four outings in all competitions. In contrast, Atlanta United head into the weekend on a run of four consecutive defeats on the road and five in their last six outings. With that said, we are backing Nashville to make use of their home advantage and come away with all three points once again.
For additional data used by our team to analyse our suggested result please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
