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

Paying their first-ever visit to BMO Stadium on Saturday, San Diego will take on Los Angeles FC in the second MLS meeting between the two California clubs.

The Black and Gold are fifth in the Western Conference after settling for a 1-1 draw at Dallas, while San Diego are still first despite a dull 0-0 draw with the Portland Timbers.

Match preview

While they have consistently been earning points, Los Angeles have failed to hang onto some of their recent advantages, which could prove costly by the end of the season.

Two of the last three times that they netted the opening goal in this competition, they failed to emerge victorious, dropping four points as a result.

Steve Cherundolo’s men are winless in their last two regular-season affairs at BMO Stadium, leaving them a dozen points back of first-place San Diego with nine matches remaining.

If they can win their remaining four league fixtures in LA, the Black and Gold will surpass their number of home triumphs in this competition from 2025 (11).

On only one occasion this year have they won a domestic affair when conceding a goal in the opening half, coming back to defeat Sporting Kansas City at home 3-1 in early June.

LAFC have points in their last 13 regular-season affairs at home versus California-based teams, a run that dates back to 2020, following a 2-1 defeat versus the San Jose Earthquakes in September of that year.

One of the most consistent teams in the league all year suffered a rare slip-up last weekend, as San Diego failed to create much against the Timbers.

That draw ended a three-match MLS winning run for this group and put them a point behind the Philadelphia Union in the Supporters’ Shield standings.

At the same time, they are unbeaten in five successive league games and are three points clear of Minnesota United for first in the West.

With six matches remaining, Mikey Varas’s side need five more points to set an MLS record for the most by an expansion side in this competition, with the current mark of 57 set by their Sunday opponents in 2018.

San Diego have not looked intimidated when coming into enemy territory, winning nine away matches in MLS this year and six in a row heading into this encounter.

Sunday will be their second meeting of the season versus the Black and Gold, and the Pacific Coast club won the first outing against them 3-2 in March.

Los Angeles FC Major League Soccer form:

Los Angeles FC form (all competitions):

San Diego Major League Soccer form:

San Diego form (all competitions):

Team News

An Achilles problem kept Aaron Long out of the LAFC fold against Dallas, while Jeremy Ebobisse and Lorenzo Dellavalle were sidelined with leg injuries.

Defender Maxime Chanot announced his retirement this week as he has struggled to recover from a head injury, and Ryan Hollingshead will miss this match due to yellow card accumulation.

Son Heung-min gave his team the lead after only six minutes last week, the first for the South Korean international in an MLS fixture since joining them from Tottenham Hotspur.

On the San Diego side, Marcus Ingvartsen, Oscar Verhoeven, Pablo Sisniega, William Kumado and Aiden Joshua Harangi were all sidelined versus Portland because of lower-body issues.

We saw four new faces in their starting 11 last Saturday as Franco Negri, Luca de la Torre, Corey Baird and Hirving Lozano replaced Harangi, Anibal Godoy, Tomas Angel and David Vazquez.

Carlos Joaquim Dos Santos faced three Timbers’ efforts and stopped them all to pick up his ninth clean sheet of the season, putting him in a tie for second in the league, two behind Yohei Takaoka of the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:

Lloris; Palencia, Tafari, Segura, Smolyakov; Tillman, Jesus, Delgado; Ordaz, Heung-min, Bouanga

San Diego possible starting lineup:

Dos Santos; Bombino, Duah, McVey, Duru; Valakari, Tverskov, De la Torre; Dreyer, Baird, Lozano

We say: Los Angeles FC 1-2 San Diego

Hostile environments do not faze this San Diego team, while their resilience has been a trademark that has always kept them near the top of the table, and we believe that quality will be evident on Sunday.

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