After consecutive draws to kick off the Major League Soccer campaign, Nashville SC host Inter Miami on Sunday, as they look to put their first win of the season on the board.
The visitors suffered a narrow defeat to LA Galaxy on the opening day but have since bounced back with a 2-1 win over Philadelphia Union last time out.
Match preview
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Nashville come into this game on the back of consecutive draws from their first two games of the season.
Last time out, Gary Smith's side rescued a point in the second half in a 2-2 home draw with CF Montreal.
The visitors took a two-goal lead through Mason Toye and Zachary Brault-Guillard, but goals in the second half from Jhonder Cadiz and Hany Mukhtar levelled the game and salvaged a point for the Tennessee outfit.
Before that, they played out a 2-2 draw with FC Cincinnati, as the visitors again took a 2-0 lead before Cadiz and Randall Leal levelled the game.
Smith's men will now look to put their first win of the season on the board, which would cement them at the top end of the Eastern Conference with a commendable tally of five points from the opening three games.
They take on an Inter Miami side who picked up their first points of the season last time out, narrowly beating Philadelphia Union away from home.
In that game, Philadelphia took the lead early in the second half through Jamiro Monteiro, and Phil Neville's side looked set to fall to a second consecutive defeat to start the season.
However, Gonzalo Higuain netted the equaliser in the 73rd minute, before Federico Higuain added a second in the 83rd minute to seal all three points for the Herons.
That was an impressive turnaround from their opening defeat, as a Javier Hernandez brace and a Sacha Kljestan goal sealed a 3-2 victory for LA Galaxy, despite Inter Miami leading on two separate occasions through Robbie Robinson and Gonzalo Higuain.
The Herons sit in fifth spot in the MLS Eastern Conference, and they will be looking for another win to move them up the standings as the league begins to take shape.
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Team News
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Jhonder Cadiz will lead the line for Nashville SC, having scored in both of their first two MLS games of the season.
The midfield also offers plenty of threat going forward with the likes of Hany Mukhtar, who opened his account for the season with a goal last time out.
At the other end of the pitch, Walker Zimmerman and David Romney could partner up again at the back, although Smith may be concerned at the fact that his side have conceded four goals in the first two games of the season.
Inter Miami could be without Gonzalo Higuain and Federico Higuain, as the pair recently flew back to Argentina following the unfortunate passing of their mother.
Manager Neville emphasised the importance of the bigger picture, and the pair could be given time with family out of the squad as a result.
That could see Robbie Robinson play a more central role, leading the attack for the Miami outfit.
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Johnston, Zimmerman, Romney, Lovitz; McCarty, Godoy; Bwana, Mukhtar, Leal; Cadiz
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Leerdam, Figal, Gonzalez, Jones; Da Silva, Matuidi; Morgan, Pizarro, Penn; Robinson
We say: Nashville SC 1-2 Inter Miami
With two strong sides squaring off, this will be a close game that could definitely go either way.
While the loss of the Higuain brothers will be a big one for Inter Miami, they still possess enough quality and experience to get over the line on Sunday.
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 Nashville SC win with a probability of 46.84%. A win for Inter Miami had a probability of 27.17% and a draw had a probability of 26%.
The most likely scoreline for a Nashville SC win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.59%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.17%) and 2-0 (8.61%). The likeliest Inter Miami win was 0-1 (8.32%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.35%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 7.8% likelihood.
