Seeking to pick up a fourth win on the spin in MLS for the first time since September 2022, Nashville SC go head to head with FC Cincinnati at Geodis Park on Saturday night.
The Orange and Blue, meanwhile, are on a run of three consecutive away defeats across all competitions since the start of March and will head into the weekend looking to end this dry spell.
Match preview
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Nashville SC maintained their fine run of results in the Eastern Conference as they made light work of Montreal in a comfortable 3-0 victory when the two sides squared off at Geodis Park on March 23.
Following a goalless first half, Alex Muyl, Josh Bauer and Jonathan Perez all found the back of the net in an 11-minute spell to hand the Boys in Yellow a fourth consecutive home win over Montreal.
Nashville have now won three games on the bounce, seeing off Portland Timbers, Philadelphia Union and most recently Montreal, having managed just one point from the first two matches to start the 2025 campaign.
Head coach B.J. Callaghan will be delighted by his side's recent performance at the attacking end of the pitch, where they have netted eight goals in their most recent three matches, having failed to find the back of the net in the opening two.
Off the back of a disappointing 13th-placed finish last year, the goal for Nashville this term is to secure playoff football as they sit fourth in the Eastern Conference standings with 10 two points from a possible 15, two points off first-placed Philadelphia Union.
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Over in Ohio, it has been a topsy-turvy start to the 2025 campaign for Cincinnati who were left red-faced last time out as they played out a 2-2 stalemate with Atlanta United at the TQL Stadium.
With nothing to separate the two sides after the first half, Brazilian midfielder Evander scored quick-fire goals to cancel out Emmanuel Latte Lath's 50th-minute opener and put the hosts in front before Alvas Powell turned the ball into his net in the 88th minute to force a share of the spoils.
Cincinnati have failed to win six of their most recent seven matches across all competitions — losing three and claiming three draws — a run which has seen them crash out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup following a 4-2 aggregate defeat against Mexican outfit Tigres.
In the league, Pat Noonan's men have managed two wins from their opening five matches while losing twice and claiming one draw to collect seven points and sit 10th in the Eastern Conference table, level on points with fifth-placed Orlando City.
While Cincinnati will be looking to kick-start a run of form this weekend, they go up against an opposing side who are unbeaten in nine of their last 12 encounters across all competitions, picking up six wins and three draws since February 2020.
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Team News
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Nashville will take to the pitch without the services of Maximus Ekk and 31-year-old Bryan Acosta, who have been ruled out through knee and thigh injuries respectively.
They are joined on the Boys in Yellow's injury table by experienced forward Tyler Boyd, who has been out of action since suffering a cruciate ligament injury against Orland last July.
Cincinnati have their fair share of injury concerns as the American trio of Alec Kann (hip), Amir Daley (shoulder) and 29-year-old defender Matt Miazga (knee) continue their spells on the sidelines.
Experienced defender Teenage Hadebe missed the game against Atlanta last time out after sustaining a hamstring problem versus Charlotte on March 16 and the 29-year-old is also out of contention for the visitors.
Evander has hit the ground running with the Orange and Blue and the 26-year-old, who has seven goal involvements in nine matches since joining from Portland Timbers in February, will be one to keep an eye on.
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Bauer, Zimmerman, Maher, Lovitz; Brugman, Tagseth; Perez, Mukhtar, Muyl; Surridge
FC Cincinnati possible starting lineup:
Celentano; Powell, Hagglund, Engel, Yedlin; Kubo, Nwobodo, Bucha; Orellano, Santos, Evander
We say: Nashville SC 3-1 FC Cincinnati
Meetings between Nashville and Cincinnati have often served up fireworks and we anticipate another action-packed contest at Geodis Park this weekend. While Cincinnati have struggled to find their feet, the Boys in Yellow appear to have hit their stride and we are backing them to come away with the desired result in front of their home supporters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
