Preview:Charlotte FC vs. Juarez - prediction, team news, lineups

Charlotte FC are the favourites to start their Leagues Cup campaign successfully when they face Juarez at Bank of America Stadium on Thursday.

Dean Smith's men have won four consecutive MLS matches before the league break, while their Liga MX opponents are yet to secure a win at the beginning of their Apertura campaign.

Match preview

Charlotte have experienced a fluctuating run lately, characterised by a losing streak followed by four straight victories.

After defeats to the Philadelphia Union, Sporting Kansas City and the Chicago Fire between mid-June and the end of last month, with at least two goals conceded in each loss, the Crown ended the downturn with a 2-2 draw against Orlando City to open July.

Since then, Smith's team have earned 12 points from available matches, securing MLS wins over New York City FC, DC United, Atlanta United and Toronto FC, with two 2-0 victories book-ending a 2-1 win over Washington and a 3-2 victory against Atlanta.

Following an early exit in last year's Leagues Cup, the 2023 quarter-finalists, given their form, should fancy their chances of finishing among the top four in the MLS section in the revamped format.

Aiming to maintain their form, the home support will be hopeful against the Mexican side, who have failed to secure maximum points in all three Apertura fixtures, with 1-1 draws against Club America and Club Tijuana sandwiching a 1-0 loss at Tigres.

Considering results from the previous Clausura campaign, Los Bravos have not won a competitive match since late March when they claimed a 2-0 victory over Puebla, though that win remains the team's only success in 12 competitive matches.

While Martin Varini’s men are not given much hope ahead of their first of three encounters against MLS clubs — matches against FC Cincinnati and the New York Red Bulls follow in the next week — the low expectations could allow Liga MX to play more freely.

Having progressed from the mini group phase in the previous format before exiting in the round of 32 in previous years to LAFC (7-1) and Colorado Rapids (3-2), the Braves face a tougher challenge in the new format as they would face daunting matches against seemingly superior MLS sides.

Thus, it will be interesting to see if Varini’s team show a different version of the side that have dropped league points in the Apertura, as they aim to stop a dismal run of results that stretches back to the previous Clausura season.

Charlotte FC form (all competitions):

Juarez form (all competitions):

Team News

Although Nathan Byrne's neck issue will be assessed before Thursday's match, Souleyman Doumbia's hamstring injury is expected to keep him out of the Leagues Cup clash with Juarez.

Pep Biel is the MLS side's main attacking outlet, as evidenced by his 10 goals and 11 assists domestically for the Crown, while Wilfried Zaha, who has scored six and assisted five, also poses a threat for Smith's team.

Jonathan Gonzalez and Oscar Estupinan are injury doubts for the Mexican side, with the former suffering from an Achilles injury and Estupinan dealing with a heel problem.

Although Madson and Guilherme Castilho have yet to make an impact after three games in the Apertura, both players, along with Jose Rodriguez, led the goal contributions for Los Bravos with six, five and four respectively in the Clausura, and will bear the attacking responsibility for Varini’s team on Thursday.

Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:

Kahlina; Tuiloma, Malanda, Ream, Marshall-Rutty; Westwood, Bronico; Vargas, Biel, Zaha; Toklomati

Juarez possible starting lineup:

Roca; Murillo, Mayorga, Garcia, Mosquera; Rodriguez, Castilho; Villalpando, Fulgencio, Pizarro; Madson

We say: Charlotte FC 3-1 Juarez

Although Charlotte have scored at least twice in their previous five matches, they have shown a tendency to concede, as evidenced by two clean sheets in five during their unbeaten run and the same number in their previous eight MLS fixtures.

While they are likely to concede to Juarez, the Crown should outscore their Liga MX opponents in Thursday's Leagues Cup match.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.