Seeking a fourth successive win in the MLS Eastern Conference, second-placed Orlando City prepare to welcome New York Red Bulls to the Exploria Stadium on Sunday.
Oscar Pareja's side marched to a 2-1 success over Inter Miami last time out, while the Red Bulls could only draw 1-1 with Atlanta United.
Match preview
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Despite boasting celebrated names such as Blaise Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuain in their ranks, Inter Miami have found it hard to keep up with the established big boys in the MLS, and Orlando City condemned Phil Neville's side to a fourth straight defeat last time out.
Higuain did manage to open the scoring with his fifth of the season as a substitute, but Chris Mueller came off the bench to restore parity for Orlando before Nani, unsurprisingly, won the day for his side with 80 minutes on the clock.
With nine goal contributions in eight MLS games so far this term, the former Manchester United attacker is leading the Orlando charge to the top of the rankings, and the second-placed side closed the gap on leaders New England to two points following their recent defeat to Dallas.
Pareja's side are the only team in the Eastern Conference to have taken nine points from the last nine on offer in the league, and a fourth successive victory would certainly be a statement of intent for the rest of the campaign, but the Red Bulls can take inspiration from their most recent encounter with Orlando.
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The Red Bulls prevailed by two goals to one in their meeting with Orlando earlier in the campaign, but they have since struggled to keep that momentum going and could only muster a point in a drab stalemate with Atlanta United on matchday 10.
Gerhard Struber's men previously gave New England a real run for their money but ultimately came out on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline, although the inconsistent nature of the teams around them means that the Red Bulls remain in the final playoff place for now.
However, the prospect of a third away fixture in succession does not make for positive reading, as Struber's side have taken just one point from 15 on offer on unfamiliar territory this season, with each of their four victories coming at home.
Goals from Caden Clark and Cristian Casseres helped propel the Red Bulls to a 2-1 success over Orlando during the final weekend of May, and there would be no better time for Struber's side to finally produce the goods away from home and upset the applecart at the top of the standings.
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Team News
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Orlando City remain without Pedro Gallese as he continues to don the Peru jersey in the Copa America, so Brandon Austin will hope for another successful outing in between the sticks.
The forgotten man Alexandre Pato continues his recovery from knee surgery and will remain out for a little while longer, while Ruan is keeping the former AC Milan and Chelsea man company in the medical bay.
Jhegson Mendez is also on Copa America duty as Ecuador prepare for the quarter-finals, while Silvester van der Water could drop out of the side following Mueller's impact from the bench last time out.
The visitors have also been hit with Copa-related absences as Casseres - who opened the scoring in their win over Orlando earlier this term - is representing Venezuela at the tournament.
Meanwhile, Clark - who is confirmed to be joining RB Leipzig once the 2021 season concludes - is also expected to remain out after undergoing an appendectomy, and a well-stocked treatment room also includes Aaron Long, Daniel Royer, Andrew Gutman and Youba Diarra.
Struber's hand will therefore be forced in some areas of the pitch, but in an effort to claim a first away win of the season, Fabio and Frankie Amaya may benefit from an attacking reshuffle.
Orlando City possible starting lineup:
Austin; Halliday, Jansson, Carlos, Smith; Urso, Perea; Mueller, Pereyra, Nani; Dyke
New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:
Coronel; Edwards, Reyes, Nealis, Duncan; Davis, Carmona, Yearwood; Amaya; Fabio, Klimala
We say: Orlando City 2-0 New York Red Bulls
Orlando City have only been heading in one direction since their May defeat to the Red Bulls, who just cannot seem to hack it on rival soil.
Furthermore, with both of Struber's goalscorers from that 2-1 win currently unavailable, we cannot see any other result than a fourth straight success for the in-form hosts.
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 Orlando City win with a probability of 47.52%. A win for New York Red Bulls had a probability of 27.55% and a draw had a probability of 24.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Orlando City win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.31%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.38%) and 2-0 (8.18%). The likeliest New York Red Bulls win was 0-1 (7.46%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.82%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 6.8% likelihood.
