Nashville SC have a chance to extend their unbeaten run in the Music City to 22 straight games, including the playoffs, as they welcome CF Montreal to GEODIS Park for the first time on Wednesday.
The Boys in Gold have never lost a match to Montreal since joining Major League Soccer in 2020, while the Canadian club extended their franchise-record unbeaten run to eight games domestically last weekend, thanks to a 2-0 triumph over Charlotte FC.
Match preview
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After a landmark 2021 campaign in which Gary Smith saw his team set a club record for points (54) and wins (12) in the regular season, Nashville have not been the consistent force that we saw a season ago.
All four of their defeats this year have come against Western Conference opponents as they are finding their new division to be a lot more competitive than the East, where the Boys in Gold finished tied for second at the end of the previous regular season.
Two of their next three games are against Eastern Conference sides, where they have experienced a ton of success, suffering only one defeat domestically against those teams over 90 minutes in their previous 14 encounters, including the playoffs.
They have not conceded a first-half goal in their two domestic matches played inside of their new 30,000-seater stadium.
Last weekend, they found themselves chasing the game against the Houston Dynamo from the get-go, falling behind when Adalberto Carrasquilla tallied in the 16th minute as Nashville struggled to maintain a quick-tempo in the Texas heat.
Nashville rarely threatened in that encounter, firing only two efforts on target despite having a man advantage when Adam Lundqvist was shown a straight red card after 35 minutes.
Their normally stingy defensive unit have, on occasion, failed to maintain their poise late in matches, conceding five times this season beyond the 70th minute and squandering six points as a result.
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Trusting in a process without panicking is easier said than done, but that approach has enabled Wilfried Nancy and his side to climb into first place in the Eastern Conference.
Beginning the domestic campaign without a win in their first four games was not an ideal situation, but to their credit, Montreal have remained patient, while not veering away from what they do well.
While they have a real game-changer in midfield who has made a massive difference, Montreal have played collectively strong as a unit and have received a variety of contributions.
These players did not appear to be phased by the raucous crowd in Charlotte as they set a new franchise record in MLS play last weekend by earning at least a point away from home for a fifth consecutive time in this campaign, while also collecting their first clean sheet of the season.
We have seen plenty of offensive prowess from them on their current unbeaten run, scoring multiple goals in seven different games on this streak as they lead the Eastern Conference, tallying 22 times this season, which is nearly half of their entire output from 2021 (46).
The reigning Canadian champions are still pragmatic in their tactics, although some minor tweaks such as employing three centre-backs on defence have allowed them more attacking freedom, which they have used to their advantage.
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Team News
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Nashville are still missing Teal Bunbury (knee), Robert Castellanos (right ankle surgery), Irakoze Donasiyano (left thigh) and Anibal Godoy (right thigh) through injury, while Handwalla Bwana made his first MLS appearance of the season on Saturday.
Walker Zimmerman needs two more appearances to reach 200 for his MLS career, Hany Mukhtar started on the substitutes bench for the first time this year, replacing Alex Muyl to start the second half against the Dynamo.
Dax McCarty wore the captain's armband for Nashville last weekend, making his 380th career appearance in league play, Sean Davis led the team in touches (87), passing percentage (92.3%) and passes (78), while David Romney saw his consecutive minutes played streak snapped at 964 when Zimmerman replaced him after just over an hour of play.
Alistair Johnston will make his first return to the Music City since moving to Montreal over the off-season, as Nashville's 11th overall selection in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft earned his 50th start in the league last week, scoring his first goal with his new club.
The league MVP conversation this year has centred around attacking midfielder Djordje Mihailovic in recent weeks as he has shown his worth throughout the campaign.
Last weekend, the American had another monster performance, scoring the match-winner for a second successive encounter as he leads the team in goals (six) and assists (three).
At the same time, Kei Kamara picked up the 49th assist in his MLS career on the insurance goal scored by Johnston.
Sebastian Breza made four saves to collect his first clean sheet of the campaign, while Mason Toye and Bjorn Johnsen remain out with an adductor and foot injury respectively, and Joel Waterman is eligible to return after missing their match in Charlotte due to yellow card accumulation.
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Romney, Zimmerman, Lovitz; Washington, Davis, McCarty, Muyl; Mukhtar, Anunga; Sapong
CF Montreal possible starting lineup:
Breza; Miller, Camacho, Waterman; Lappalainen, Wanyama, Kone, Johnston; Mihailovic, Torres; Quioto
We say: Nashville SC 1-1 CF Montreal
These teams have similar approaches, as they rely on a solid backline and some outstanding individual quality in attacking midfield.
There is something about playing at home that seems to give Nashville a psychological edge and earn results even when playing poorly, and we expect a close match between two strong squads with talent across the board.
For additional data used by our team to analyse our suggested result please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
