Preview:Austin FC vs Los Angeles FC - prediction, team news, lineups

It is the business end of the regular MLS season for Austin FC, who are on the brink of a playoff berth, meaning three points against Los Angeles FC on October 13 is crucial.

The visiting side already have their place in the postseason playoffs confirmed, but they are aiming to finish top of the Western Conference to carry an advantage with them throughout the latter parts of the season.

Match preview

Austin must still be reeling from the disappointment of their US Open Cup final defeat at home to Nashville, which was their chance to finally bag silverware for the five-year-old club.

However, coach Nico Estevez must now get his troops to focus on the task at hand - securing their place in the MLS playoffs, and hope for success in the post-season.

The Spanish boss has been a relative success since joining in October last year, leading Los Verdes to that cup final and to sixth in the Western Conference this season.

If they can win their remaining two games, Austin can hop into fifth place, but they would need the Seattle Sounders to lose both of their final two league fixtures.

At the same time, the home side’s position is not secure, because if they fail to win any of their last two matches, they risk leaving the door open to the three clubs below them, but at least they can take solace in the fact that they will play some part in the postseason - even if it is in the Wild Card matches.

The hosts are on a three-game losing streak, which they need to snap, and after winning the reverse fixture in Los Angeles, Los Verdes will be confident of at least avoiding defeat on Monday morning.

There is no doubt that LAFC have thrived under the mentorship of Steve Cherundolo, as the manager has only ever finished in the top three of the Western Conference since taking over in 2022.

That trend seems set to continue this season, with the Black and Gold entering their final two games in third place, a point off the Vancouver Whitecaps and San Diego.

Winning their remaining two games would put them in prime position to top the conference and enjoy home advantage throughout the post-season, but they would require the Whitecaps to drop points in one of their matches.

The visitors are currently on a run of six wins on the bounce and have only succumbed to a defeat once across their previous 10 outings.

Confidence should be high in the camp - especially since they have only been beaten three times in 15 away MLS dates this season, winning six of such fixtures.

The last five head-to-heads also lean towards the travelling party, who have won twice in that sequence of games, while two were deadlocked.

Austin FC Major League Soccer form:

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Austin FC form (all competitions):

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Los Angeles FC Major League Soccer form:

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Team News

Austin head coach Estevez will be without Myrto Uzuni, Julio Cascante, Oleksandr Svatok, Micah Burton and Ervin Torres, all of whom have been called up to represent their national teams during this international break.

On the injury front, Brandon Vasquez is a long-term absentee with a knee injury, but there is good news for the home side in that Guilherme Biro can return to the squad after serving a one-match suspension for the accumulation of five yellow cards last weekend.

LAFC and MLS joint top-scorer, Denis Bouanga, will be on international duty with Gabon, while his striking partner, Son Heung-min, is on course to represent South Korea during this international break.

Nathan Ordaz and Mathieu Choiniere will not be available for the trip to Texas, also due to commitments with their respective national teams, which means that Jeremy Ebobisse is likely to lead the line again, as he did in midweek against Toronto.

Cherundolo does have a lengthy list of injuries as well, with Aaron Long (Achilles), Igor Jesus (knee), Odin Holm (leg) and Lorenzo Dellavalle (ligament) all still in the infirmary.

Austin FC possible starting lineup:

Stuver; Dessler, Hines-Ike, Biro, Gallagher; Sabovic, Sanchez, Pereira; Bukari, Wolf, Rubio

Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:

Lloris; Palencia, Porteous, Tafari, Smolyakov; Moran, Segura, Delgado; Tillman, Martinez, Ebobisse