The league leaders of the Major League Soccer Eastern and Western Conferences will meet each other this Sunday as Philadelphia Union travel to play Los Angeles FC.
Each team has lost just once so far this season, although it is the hosts that are in stronger form heading into this one.
Match preview
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Los Angeles FC are currently top of the MLS Western Conference after winning seven of their opening nine matches, conceding just eight times throughout those.
The hosts have only lost a single game this season, and since that loss against LA Galaxy the squad have quickly got themselves back on track.
Steve Cherundolo's team have won their four outings since that point, and they have showcased their offensive qualities within that run by scoring 12 times.
However, they left it late last weekend in their 2-0 victory against Minnesota United, with Ryan Hollingshead and Jose Cifuentes scoring in the final 10 minutes.
Their ability to fight until the end is something that could be crucial this Sunday though as they take on a team who are in just as impressive form this season.
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Philadelphia have also only lost once in the league this season, which came against Toronto FC, but they have not been able to recover quite as well.
The U have drawn both of their games following that defeat, which included a 1-1 result against Nashville last weekend that they will be aiming to improve upon.
Mikael Uhre did originally give his team the lead in the second half, but they were unable to hold on after giving away an 85th-minute penalty that Randall Leal scored.
Away from home Philadelphia have struggled more as they have only won two of their four games, which could provide some confidence to Los Angeles.
Dropping points again this weekend could see the U drop down to third depending on other results as well, showcasing the closeness that is in the Eastern Conference.
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Team News
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Hollingshead will be aiming to continue his form in front of goal this season on Sunday, with the LAFC star having already scored three times so far.
The hosts do have a lengthy injury list though, as Ismael Tajouri-Shradi, Brian Rodriguez, Julian Gaines, Erik Duenas and Eddie Segura are all unavailable at the moment.
Sergio Santos was able to return to training recently for Philadelphia, but it is unknown whether or not he will be fit enough to feature this weekend.
The U featuring two strikers could prove to cause problems for their opponents as well, with the 4-1-3-2 formation being a contrast to how the hosts normally set up.
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Crepeau; Hollingshead, Murillo, Fall, Palacios; Llie, Vela, Blessing, Acosta, Opoku; Arango
Philadelphia Union possible starting lineup:
Blake; Wagner, Elliot, Glesnes, Harriel; Martinez, Flach, Gazdag, Bedoya; Uhre, Carranza
We say: Los Angeles FC 2-1 Philadelphia Union
These are the two top Major League Soccer teams so far, and they will be wanting to establish their early dominance at the expense of their opponents on Sunday.
However, the visitors have been suffering a difficult spell in recent matches, and that could provide Los Angeles the chance to gain all three points here.
Top tip
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 Los Angeles FC win with a probability of 60.13%. A draw had a probability of 21.3% and a win for Philadelphia Union had a probability of 18.58%.
The most likely scoreline for a Los Angeles FC win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.96%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (9.91%) and 2-0 (9.86%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10%), while for a Philadelphia Union win it was 1-2 (5.05%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 5% likelihood.
