Minnesota United will look to bounce back from a 4-0 thumping defeat on the opening day of the Major League Soccer season on Sunday, when they host Real Salt Lake.
The visitors are the only side yet to play in the MLS this season and will kick off their campaign on Sunday with the hope of improving on last season's 11th-placed finish.
Match preview
© Reuters
Minnesota United kicked their MLS campaign off in a disappointing way last Saturday, as they travelled to take on Seattle Sounders.
The game remained goalless until half time, before goals from Joao Paulo and Fredy Montero alongside a Raul Ruidiaz brace sealed a dominant victory for the hosts.
That was another defeat to the Seattle side, after the Sounders knocked Minnesota out of the MLS playoffs at the semi-final stage last season.
Adrian Heath's men progressed to the conference finals by finishing in fourth spot but narrowly missed out on the final after leading 2-0.
They will look to improve on that and lift their first MLS title this season, and Heath's side will be desperate to quickly bounce back from that defeat last time out to get their season started.
They welcome a Real Salt Lake side who will be hoping to start their season with a win on Saturday after missing the first gameweek.
Following a third-placed finish and a subsequent playoff appearance in 2019, the Claret and Cobalt had a disappointing league campaign last year.
Real Salt Lake finished in 11th spot in the 12-team Eastern Conference, missing out on the playoffs as a result.
In their 22 league games, Freddy Juarez's side won just five matches, picking up 22 points in the process, while having the worst attacking record in the Western Conference.
Juarez will be hopeful that his side can bounce back to their 2019 levels this campaign and put last season behind them, starting with what would be an important winning start on Sunday.
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Minnesota United are expected to be without winger Niko Hansen and defender Bakaye Dibassy on Sunday, with the pair both carrying injuries.
Experienced centre-back Ike Opara was also absent from the opening game, with Brent Kallman and Michael Boxall forming the centre-back pairing.
Robin Lod is expected to lead the line for the hosts, supported by the attacking threat of Emanuel Reynoso and Ethan Finlay.
We are yet to see how Freddy Juarez will line his side up this season, but he added to his options in pre-season with several notable additions.
Bobby Wood could lead the line, following his move from Hamburger SV in April.
Anderson Julio could be a key man for the visitors this season, after the winger joined on loan from Mexican outfit San Luis.
They come into this season without key players at both ends of the pitch, as centre-back Nedum Onouha announced his retirement recently, while striker Corey Baird completed a move to Los Angeles FC in the lead up to this year's MLS.
Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
Clair; Metanire, Boxall, Kallman, Gasper; Trapp, Gregus, Dotson; Finlay, Lod, Reyoso
Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Morgan, Silva, Glad, Toia; Kreilach, Luiz, Ruiz; Meram, Wood, Julio
We say: Minnesota United 2-1 Real Salt Lake
We see the hosts bouncing back from their opening defeat on Saturday, as they take on a Real Salt Lake side who will be adjusting to the pace of the new season.
Minnesota will be desperate to put their first win on the board, and we see them outclassing their visitors, who are without two of last season's key players.
Top tip
Sam Varley
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 Minnesota United win with a probability of 46.1%. A win for Real Salt Lake had a probability of 29.42% and a draw had a probability of 24.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Minnesota United win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.31%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (9.25%) and 2-0 (7.48%). The likeliest Real Salt Lake win was 1-2 (7.16%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.5%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 7.2% likelihood.
