Preview: Atlanta United vs Charlotte FC - prediction, team news, lineups

Seeking a fourth successive MLS victory on Saturday, Atlanta United will conclude a two-game homestand when they take on Charlotte FC from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Five Stripes currently sit 12th in the Eastern Conference thanks to a 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City, putting them 11 points below Charlotte, who defeated DC United 3-1 last weekend and are fifth.

Match preview

A two-week break earlier this month seemed to do Atlanta United a world of good as they find themselves back in the race for a post-season berth.

That was unrealistic during that break, when they were dead last in the East heading into their home game against the New York Red Bulls.

Gerardo Martino’s men are currently three points below Orlando City for that final playoff spot and on Sunday they can surpass their number of home wins in this competition from last year (four).

At the same time, a win would give them three in a row at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first time since the 2024 MLS regular season.

Nearly half of their 2026 regular-season outings (10 of 21) have been decided by a single goal, with Atlanta coming out on top in those last three instances.

There is suddenly a lot of optimism with this club, which have shown consistency, while the addition of Swiss striker Breel Embolo could address their goalscoring issues.

Although they fell just short of a place in the knockout portion of the Leagues Cup, there is a lot to be optimistic about right now if you support Charlotte FC.

Dean Smith’s team are just two points below the New England Revolution for fourth in the East and on Saturday they will be seeking to extend their unbeaten run in the league to four matches for the third time in 2026.

On the other hand, the team will be frustrated that they have left points on the table away from home of late, failing to win their last two regular-season outings as the visitors despite scoring first both times, dropping four points as a result.

Lately they have been firing on all cylinders in the attacking third, netting three goals in each of their last three games while failing to score on only two occasions away from home in the 2026 regular season.

That said, they have also conceded in all but one league game on the road this year, with over half of their MLS goals allowed (19 of 32) occurring away from home.

The Crown will be seeking a fourth successive victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium versus Atlanta on Saturday, netting three times in each of those last three triumphs.

Atlanta United Major League Soccer form:

Charlotte FC Major League Soccer form:

Team News

We are unlikely to see Ajani Fortune on the pitch for Atlanta as he recovers from a hamstring strain, Elias Baez will be suspended, Mauricio Amaro is still awaiting a visa approval and Embolo will be seeking to make his first appearance.

Tomas Jacob has a goal in each of his last two games, as he and Fabrice Picault scored in their victory last weekend at home to Sporting KC.

In Charlotte, Aron John is dealing with an upper-body issue, while Harry Toffolo and Nimfasha Berchimas have lower-body injuries.

David Schnegg, Will Cleary and Pep Biel all netted last Saturday, with the Spaniard also collecting an assist along the way.

Atlanta United possible starting lineup:

Hoyos; Jacob, Diaz, Gregersen, Alonso; Gill, Sanchez; Miranchuk, Muyumba, Almiron; Picault

Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:

Kahlina; Cleary, Agyemang, Kessler, Schnegg; De La Torre, Westwood, Biel; Abada, Toklomati, Saint-Maximin

We say: Atlanta United 1-2 Charlotte FC

While Atlanta have a lot of momentum, they have not faced a formidable opponent with as much quality as Charlotte over their last three games, and we expect them to regress against a side with plenty of attacking options to call upon.

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