Seeking to extend their unbeaten MLS run to 10 matches, Philadelphia Union travel to Nashville SC for this weekend's battle in the Eastern Conference.
Both sides took one point from their most recent encounters, as the hosts rescued a point against Montreal while Philadelphia were held by basement side Chicago Fire.
Match preview
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The man who was making just his second cameo appearance of the season would prove to be Nashville's saviour last time out, as Gary Smith's side seemed destined to head for a 1-0 defeat when Aljaz Struna headed in the opener for Montreal just after the hour mark.
However, having shaken off an injury which had bedevilled him at the start of the season, Abu Danladi came off the bench to level proceedings four minutes into second-half injury time, as resident draw specialists Nashville played out their sixth stalemate in 10 MLS games.
Failure to convert one point into three has proven to be the hosts' downfall so far, but having lost just one of their opening 10 games of the campaign - the joint-best record in the Eastern Conference alongside Orlando City - Nashville sit sixth and inside the playoff places at this time.
With Sunday's battle representing the third of five consecutive home games for Nashville, Smith's side must seek to take advantage of their familiar surroundings, and since football resumed following the first coronavirus lockdown in spring 2020, they have lost just one of their 18 MLS games at the Nissan Stadium.
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Supporters' Shield holders Philadelphia Union are also a side who know a thing or two about unbeaten runs, although like their upcoming opponents, they were made to work for their point in a pulsating 3-3 draw with Chicago Fire last Sunday.
Jakob Glesnes turned into his own net with two minutes on the clock to give the Fire the lead, and with two more goals for either side seeing the basement side go 3-2 up, Union had their own slice of luck to thank as Boris Sekulic's own goal saw the teams ultimately share the spoils.
While that six-goal thriller did see Jim Curtin's men extend their unbeaten run to nine matches, failure to take maximum points off the Conference's basement side proved costly as they dropped below Orlando City into third place, while they sit four points adrift of leaders New England.
Nashville may be yet to lose at home this season, but Philadelphia Union are the only team in the Eastern Conference with their unbeaten away record still intact, although they have both scored five and conceded five goals across their last two games on the road.
Nashville's recent inception means that the two sides will be locking horns for the first time ever this weekend, and getting one over the reigning Supporters' Shield champions would certainly spell optimism for the rest of the hosts' season.
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Team News
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Nashville forward Jhonder Cadiz remains unavailable while representing Venezuela at the Copa America, although the Benfica loanee will be back in the setup soon following his country's elimination.
Centre-back Walker Zimmerman has recovered from an abdominal injury and could replace Jack Maher in the rearguard, but Dominique Badji's ankle issue will keep him out of this encounter.
Danladi has certainly put himself forward for a start after saving his side's unbeaten home run last time out, with the 25-year-old in line for either a spot on the right or up top in place of CJ Sapong.
The visitors, meanwhile, have a Venezuela international of their own returning soon in Jose Martinez, while Daniel Gazdag was fit enough to come on as a substitute against Chicago Fire despite withdrawing from Hungary's Euro 2020 squad.
Anthony Fontana and Jack de Vries were forced to miss last week's six-goal thriller due to concussion protocols and are facing a race to be fit for this one, while Ilsinho continues to recover from groin surgery.
Alejandro Bedoya is also uncertain with a calf issue, but 17-year-old Quinn Sullivan deputised well in his teammate's absence against the Fire and could be rewarded with another starting role.
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Johnston, Zimmerman, Romney, Lovitz; Muyl, Godoy, McCarty, Haakenson; Mukhtar; Danladi
Philadelphia Union possible starting lineup:
Blake; Powell, Glesnes, Findlay, Wagner; Sullivan, Elliott, Flach; Monteiro; Santos, Burke
We say: Nashville SC 1-2 Philadelphia Union
Sunday's battle is unlikely to be a low-scoring affair, and Nashville's unbeaten home record coupled with the Union's away day specialities should make for a fascinating encounter.
The hosts have taken no time at all to settle into life in the MLS, but Philadelphia Union will be more determined than ever to return to winning ways, and we are backing them to do just that.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
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 Nashville SC win with a probability of 38.14%. A win for Philadelphia Union had a probability of 35.41% and a draw had a probability of 26.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Nashville SC win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.95%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.32%) and 2-0 (6.58%). The likeliest Philadelphia Union win was 0-1 (9.51%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.58%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 10% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Nashville SC in this match.
