Nashville SC play host to Austin FC on Sunday evening looking to extend their unbeaten MLS record to six matches.
While Nashville are in eighth position in the Eastern Conference, Austin are down in 10th spot in the Western Conference after two consecutive defeats.
Match preview
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On the back of four draws in five fixtures, Nashville head coach Gary Smith will naturally have mixed feelings regarding the progress of his side.
Nevertheless, his club are one of just three teams to remain unbeaten in the MLS, something which should only be perceived as a positive at this stage of the campaign.
Also possessing a game in hand, Nashville can make quick headway into the top four, and the momentum is with them after posting three clean sheets in succession.
The goalless draw at Real Salt Lake was a solid result after inflicting the first defeat on Eastern Conference leaders New England Revolution in their previous outing.
Randall Leal has emerged as Nashville's key man during the opening five fixtures, contributing one goal and two assists.
Opponents Austin would have been realistic about their expectations when they were preparing for their first-ever year in the MLS.
However, there will still be disappointment within their ranks having collected just six points from five games, their latest two encounters ending in defeat.
Perspective will be taken from each of their fixtures taking place away from home, but they have failed to build on their promising start.
Aside from their 11-minute goal glut against Colorado Rapids on matchday two, The Greens have struggled in front of goal with just two strikes coming in their last 253 minutes.
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Team News
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Smith could stick with the same Nashville XI which extended their unbeaten streak last weekend.
Jhonder Cadiz, the team's top goalscorer with two strikes, is an alternative to Dominique Badji in the final third.
Josh Wolff will make at least one alteration to his Austin starting lineup with Alex Ring having served his suspension.
Daniel Pereira is likely to drop back down to the substitutes' bench, while Rodney Redes is pushing for a recall on the flank at the expense of Jared Stroud.
Ben Sweat, Aaron Schoenfeld and Ulises Segura all face lengthy periods on the sidelines through injury.
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Johnston, Romney, Zimmerman, Lovitz; Godoy, McCarty; Muyl, Sapong, Leal; Cadiz
Austin FC possible starting lineup:
Stuver; Lima, Romana, Besler, Kolmanic; Pochettino, Fagundez, Ring; Redes, Hoesen, Dominguez
We say: Nashville SC 2-1 Austin FC
While Austin have recorded more wins than their opponents, there is currently a vulnerability about the newcomers. At a time when Nashville must push for victories over avoiding defeat, we are backing the home team to edge this one by the odd goal in three.
Darren Plant
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 Nashville SC win with a probability of 60.63%. A draw had a probability of 21.8% and a win for Austin FC had a probability of 17.61%.
The most likely scoreline for a Nashville SC win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.19%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.73%) and 2-1 (9.91%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.34%), while for an Austin FC win it was 0-1 (5.4%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with an 11.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Nashville SC in this match.
