Preview:Atlanta United vs. CF Montreal - prediction, team news, lineups

Atlanta United have blown hot and cold so far, and they will be aiming to kickstart their season when they welcome CF Montreal to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.

The visitors come into the game in search of back-to-back league wins on the road for the first time since September.

Match preview

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Atlanta United were denied a second home league win on the spin as they played out a 1-1 draw against Inter Miami CF on Sunday.

Josef Martinez broke the deadlock with less than 10 minutes played to give his side a lead that was eventually wiped out in the 77th minute by Lewis Morgan.

Gabriel Heinze's men currently occupy seventh spot in the Eastern Conference of the MLS, three points off their next opponents in top spot.

Their record in this fixture is near-perfect with four wins and a draw in the last five meetings dating back to 2017.

More importantly, Sunday's hosts have won each of their last three home games against the visitors by a combined score of 8-2.

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CF Montreal succeeded where Atlanta United failed as they claimed a 2-0 win over Inter Miami CF on Thursday.

The damage was done in the first half where Bjorn Johnsen scored twice in a 10-minute spell to hand his side all three points.

Wilfred Nancy's men lead the way in the Eastern Conference as things stand with a tally of eight points from their five matches to date.

It is still early days, but Sunday's visitors are already showing signs that they could be set for a deeper run into the playoffs this term after a first-round exit to New England Revolution last season.

Team News

The Canadian duo of Ballou Tabla and Zachary Brault-Guillard are both ruled out through ankle and thigh injuries respectively.

The visitors will also have to make do with the absence of Luis Binks and Mason Toye for the third game running.

Ezequiel Barco has not featured for the home side since coming on as a second-half substitute earlier in the month.

Mohammed Adams, Alec Kann and Jurgen Damm are all major doubts for the game, but the latter could be set for a return to action after missing the last two games.

Josef Martinez opened his account for the season last time out, and he will be looking to kick on from there.

Atlanta United possible starting lineup:

Guzan; Bello, Walkes, Robinson, Lennon; Moreno, Sosa, Hyndman; Mulraney, Martinez, Lopez

CF Montreal possible starting lineup:

Pantemis; Struna, Camacho, Miller; Bayiha, Hamdi, Piette, Lappalainen; Mihailovic, Quioto, Johnsen

We say: Atlanta United 3-1 CF Montreal

The home side have got the better of their visitors in recent meetings, and we expect that trend to continue with yet another victory for the hosts in this one.