Fresh off the back of securing their first victory of the new MLS campaign, Portland Timbers journey to Geodis Park to go head to head with Nashville SC on Saturday night.
Having failed to win any of the last four meetings between the two teams, the Boys in Gold will head into the weekend looking to get on over the visitors and get their season up and running.
Match preview
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Nashville SC were denied their first win of the 2025 MLS season as they suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of New York Red Bulls when the two sides squared off last Sunday.
In an action-packed contest at the Red Bull Arena, Mohammed Sofo and Emil Forsberg netted inside the opening half-an-hour to inspire New York Red Bulls to their first league win since beating Orlando City 1-0 in the playoff on December 1.
Before that, Nashville were guilty of a lack of sting in front of goal in their season opener against New England Revolution on February 23, when they squandered a number of clear-cut chances before settling for a goalless draw.
The Boys in Gold's slow start to the campaign has come as a surprise, considering their blistering form in pre-season, where they picked up four wins and one draw from their six games while scoring 15 goals and keeping three clean sheets.
B.J. Callaghan's men will look to finally get up and running this weekend as they eye a return to the playoffs, having seen their four-year qualification for post-season football come to an end last term,
Having featured in the four playoffs since their MLS debut in 2020, Nashville picked up just 36 points from their 34 games last term to finish 13th in the Western Conference standings, only above New England Revolution and Chicago Fire.
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Portland Timbers, on the other hand, bounced back from their humbling opening-day defeat against Vancouver Whitecaps as they secured a 1-0 victory over Austin FC last Sunday.
Following a goalless first half at Providence Park, Portuguese forward David Pereira da Costa grabbed the headlines for the home side as he scored the only goal of the game in the 89th minute to hand them all three points.
Before that, Portland Timbers kicked off the new campaign with a 4-1 home thrashing at the hands of the Whitecaps on February 23, when Jayden Nelson scored one and set up three others to inspire the visitors to a resounding victory.
Phil Neville's men come into the new campaign looking to build on their performance from last year, when they secured a ninth-placed finish in the West before losing 5-0 against conference rivals Vancouver Whitecaps in the single-elimination play-in match on October 24.
Portland will be backing themselves to continue from where they left off against Austin as this weekend's clash pits them against an opposing side who have failed to win any of their previous four meetings, losing twice and claiming two draws since March 2020.
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Team News
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Nashville remain without the services of 30-year-old forward Tyler Boyd, who has been out of action since July 2024 after sustaining a severe knee injury.
He is joined on the club's injury table by the duo of Bryan Acosta and 19-year-old forward Maximus Ekk, who are recuperating from thigh and knee injuries respectively.
As for Portland Timbers, the trio of Dario Zuparic (knee), Santiago Moreno (ankle) and Jonathan Rodriguez (knee) will sit out this weekend's clash as they continue their spell on the sidelines.
First-choice goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau missed the game against Austin through injury while Juan Mosquera is yet to feature this year after suffering an injury back in October.
Kamal Miller is set to serve the second of his three-game suspension after picking up an 11th-minute red card in February's season curtain-raiser against Vancouver Whitecaps.
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Meyer, Zimmerman, Maher, Najar, Lovitz; Tagseth, Corcoran, Muyl; Mukhtar, Surridge
Portland Timbers possible starting lineup:
Pantemis; Surman, McGraw, Smith; Antony, Ayala, Ortiz, Fory; Lassiter, Mora, Da Costa
We say: Nashville SC 2-0 Portland Timbers
Having stumbled into the new campaign, Nashville now face the stern challenge of a spirited Portland side whom they have failed to get the better of in any of their previous four encounters. However, the Boys in Gold boast a superior and more experienced squad, and we fancy them to secure a much-needed victory in front of their home supporters this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
