Needing a win to maintain their hopes of finishing first in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS), Los Angeles FC head to BC Place Stadium to face the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday.
Both sides are assured a playoff berth, with the Caps sitting eighth after a 1-0 defeat versus Minnesota United, while the Black and Gold are second after claiming a 3-0 triumph over Sporting Kansas City the last time out.
Match preview
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Vancouver are in the playoffs for a second successive year, but they are in anything but fine form heading into the home stretch of the regular season.
The Caps have lost consecutive MLS fixtures and are currently on a five-match winless run, one fewer than their longest in the league this year.
Vanni Sartini's men have had a rough homestand thus far, claiming just one point in three games at BC Place and failing to score in consecutive matches.
As a result, they have dropped into one of the two wild-card spots, but with a victory this weekend, they can move above Minnesota United into seventh and a guaranteed spot in the opening round of the playoffs.
Their home form has been disappointing throughout the campaign, with the Caps winning just one of their last six domestic encounters at BC Place, and they are in danger of suffering three successive home defeats this weekend for the first time since 2018.
Domestically, in 2024, the Whitecaps have yet to claim a point against the two LA-based teams, though they came away with a shootout victory against the Black and Gold at the Leagues Cup this summer at BMO Stadium.
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While the Caps are struggling down the stretch of the season, the opposite is true for LAFC, who are riding a four-game winning run across all competitions heading into this encounter.
That run began with a US Open Cup triumph in late September, while they have posted consecutive clean sheets in this competition.
Steve Cherundolo's side are six points behind their arch-rivals, the Los Angeles Galaxy, for the top spot in the West and can ensure themselves a second-place finish at worst with a victory this weekend.
A victory would also put them above 60 points for only the third time in their MLS history, having already accumulated six more points than a year ago.
In 2024, the Black and Gold have won seven regular-season affairs away from home, the joint second-most in the Western Conference behind the Seattle Sounders (eight) and Minnesota (eight).
LAFC are unbeaten in their last three competitive fixtures against the Caps in Vancouver, claiming a 1-0 triumph in their previous visit to BC Place last year, knocking them out of the playoffs in the process.
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Team News
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It is possible the Caps will have Belal Halbouni available this weekend after he was previously dealing with an illness, though Max Anchor is doubtful because of a finger injury.
Six of their players will be away on international duty, including captain Ryan Gauld (Scotland), Sam Adekugbe (Canada), Ali Ahmed (Canada), Andres Cubas (Paraguay), Pedro Vite (Ecuador) and Fafa Picault (Haiti).
Brian White, who leads the Whitecaps with 15 goals in the league this year, has three in his career against LAFC, more than any Vancouver player.
On the LAFC side, Jesus Murillo is doubtful with a knee injury, and Lorenzo Dellavalle will not return this season after tearing his ACL.
Five players will be missing from their squad this weekend because of the international break, Cristian Olivera (Uruguay), David Martinez (Venezuela), Maxime Chanot (Luxembourg), Omar Campos (Mexico Under-23) and Denis Bouanga (Gabon).
Aaron Long, Olivera and Martinez all found the back of the net in their victory last weekend as Hugo Lloris made three stops to collect his 12th clean sheet of the year, one fewer than Stefan Frei for first in the league.
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Takaoka; Laborda, Veselinovic, Blackmon; Raposo, Berhalter, Schopf, Priso; Armstrong, White, Kreilach
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Palencia, Marlon, Long; Atuesta, Sanchez, O'Brien, Hollingshead; Bogusz, Giroud, Kamara
We say: Vancouver Whitecaps 0-2 Los Angeles FC
So many of the Whitecaps chances are created by Gauld, and without him or Cubas in the middle of the field, it should make them a little more vulnerable in transition, which is something LAFC have thrived at under Cherundolo.
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