Vancouver Whitecaps and Minnesota United will square off in Major League Soccer action on Sunday, as both sides look to build on positive recent runs of results.
Following an eight-game winless run, the hosts have now gone three league matches without a defeat, while their opponents have lost just one of their last 11 MLS outings.
Match preview
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Following a mixed start to the MLS season, Vancouver Whitecaps went through a poor run of form starting in the middle of May, as they went eight league games without a victory.
In that time, Marc dos Santos's side collected just two points from back-to-back 2-2 draws, seemingly turning a corner after a run of five straight defeats, in which they conceded 11 goals and scored just two at the other end.
However, those draws did not provide an immediate platform, as The Blue-and-White were thrashed 4-0 by Real Salt Lake, seeing them remain rooted to the bottom of the MLS Western Conference.
They have seemingly started to turn their form around now though, firstly recording a commendable 2-1 victory over high-fliers Los Angeles Galaxy, with Deiber Caicedo and Cristian Dajome finding the net in the second half to turn the game on its head and secure all three points after Rayan Raveloson's early opener.
Consecutive draws have followed that heading into Sunday's clash, most recently drawing 2-2 with Los Angeles FC as Carlos Vela and Jose Cifuentes drew their opponents level after goals from Caiedo and Dajome.
Those results may provide a platform for Dos Santos's men, who have already lifted themselves off the foot of the table, leapfrogging Austin FC and moving level on points with 10th-placed FC Dallas and 11th-placed Sporting Kansas City, giving them plenty of incentive to continue their upturn in form in order to trigger a further rise up the Conference.
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They take on a Minnesota United side in a strong run of form, with the visitors having lost just one of their last 11 MLS matches.
After a poor start to the season, losing their opening four games, the Loons have quickly seen their fortunes change, immediately bouncing back in style.
Since those four games, Adrian Heath's side have collected 22 points from 11 games to rise from the foot of the Western Conference to sixth place.
That run has produced six victories and four draws alongside the solitary defeat, with the most recent outing seeing them earn a commendable point.
Heath's men travelled to take on Los Angeles FC, and their opponents took the lead on two separate occasions through Carlos Vela and Tristan Blackmon, with the latter looking set to seal a 2-1 win, only for Hassani Dotson to draw his side level in the 95th minute to earn a point in dramatic fashion.
That followed back-to-back victories for the Loons, firstly defeating Conference leaders Seattle Sounders 1-0 before they recorded a 2-1 win over a Portland Timbers side in hot pursuit of a playoff place.
Now occupying a spot in the top seven thanks to their impressive upturn in form, Heath's side will look to record another victory to further cement their place in the playoff spots, with a win potentially stretching the gap between themselves and eighth place to six points depending on other results across the league.
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Team News
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Vancouver Whitecaps come into Sunday's game without first-choice goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau and key forward Lucas Cavallini, with the pair both away with the Canadian national team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Caio Alexandre will also miss out through suspension, while Bruno Gaspar should be kept out of action by a recent ankle injury.
Thomas Hasal will continue to deputise between the sticks, while Brian White should again lead the line in Cavallini's absence.
He will be supported by wingers Deiber Caicedo and Cristian Dajome, with the pair having registered a combined tally of nine goals and four assists in MLS action so far this season.
Minnesota United have also lost a player to international duty, with goalkeeper Dayne St Clair joining Crepeau and Cavallini in the Canadian CONCACAF Gold Cup side.
He is not their only absentee, with Franco Fragapane ruled out through injury, while New Zealand international Michael Boxall is also a doubt.
Their line will be led by Robin Lod, who has hit four goals and three assists in 10 MLS appearances this season, having missed a spell while away at Euro 2020 with the Finland national team.
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Hasal; Nerwinski, Rose, Veselinovic, Gutierrez; Baldisimo, Bikel, Teibert; Dajome, White, Caicedo
Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
Miller; Metanire, Kallman, Dibassy, Gasper; Trapp, Hayes; Finlay, Dotson, Reynoso; Lod
We say: Vancouver Whitecaps 2-2 Minnesota United
With both sides coming in with a certain degree of confidence, this could certainly go either way, and we see them sharing the points.
While Minnesota find themselves in a longer run of good form, Vancouver Whitecaps could be hugely booted by their turnaround, and we expect them to make it four games without a defeat with a commendable result 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 Minnesota United win with a probability of 50.18%. A win for Vancouver Whitecaps had a probability of 25.83% and a draw had a probability of 24%.
The most likely scoreline for a Minnesota United win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.82%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.61%) and 0-2 (8.34%). The likeliest Vancouver Whitecaps win was 1-0 (6.65%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.3%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 5.5% likelihood.
