Preview: New England Revolution vs Charlotte FC - prediction, team news, lineups

A chance to end a four-month stint without picking up back-to-back Major League Soccer victories lies in wait for New England Revolution when they welcome Charlotte FC to Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

The visitors, meanwhile, will head to Foxborough aiming to continue their recent upturn in form and pick up a fifth straight triumph across all competitions.

Match preview

After getting their season underway with one win from the opening six matches, New England Revolution went unbeaten in 10 of their subsequent 11 games and looked to have turned a corner.

However, Caleb Porter's men went winless in all nine matches that ensued before claiming a 2-0 victory over DC United on August 15, the first of two wins in three outings this month, following Sunday's 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew.

With eight points separating them from playoff contention heading into the final seven matches of the regular season, the Revs face an uphill task if they are to avoid missing out on consecutive post-seasons for the first time since 2018.

New England's next assignment will see them face off against an opposing outfit that have lost five of the most recent six meetings, after coming out on top in the inaugural edition of this fixture back in 2022.

Ahead of a crunch matchup against fellow playoff hopefuls Chicago Fire seven days later, Sunday's hosts will need to avoid losing ground on the teams just above them and anything but all three points this weekend will be less than ideal.

Having won four matches on the bounce before the start of the Leagues Cup, Charlotte would have fancied themselves to put up a decent showing, but defeats in the first two clashes against Juarez and Guadalajara saw them suffer an early exit.

Still, Dean Smith's men managed to bow out of the competition on a high by beating Monterrey 2-0 in their final group-stage outing to kick off a four-match winning streak.

Charlotte just about saw off the threat of New York Red Bulls courtesy of a third successive 1-0 victory last time out, meaning that they have now gone four matches without conceding.

Unlike New England, Charlotte's playoff place in the Eastern Conference looks all but guaranteed as they currently sit fourth with 47 points from 28 matches.

Opening the scoring in each of their last five outings, the Crown have benefited from their fast start to matches recently and will be looking to fly out of the blocks in Sunday's affair.

Despite coming out on top in each of their last two away matches, Charlotte have struggled on the road all season long, with just four wins and nine defeats in 14 games.

New England Revolution Major League Soccer form:

Charlotte FC Major League Soccer form:

Charlotte FC form (all competitions):

Team News

After managing just two goals in his first 14 MLS appearances for New England, Leonardo Campana has now scored four times in his last six matches, making him one to keep an eye on here.

Making his second start since returning from a thigh injury, Ignatius Ganago was on target for the hosts last time out and is expected to retain his place in the XI.

Tyger Smalls and Bill Tuiloma are currently battling with muscle problems and are unavailable to play any part for Charlotte.

Pep Biel is also out of contention for the away side due to a knee injury, while Drake Callender remains sidelined with a groin issue.

Harry Toffolo's availability for this weekend's clash currently hangs in the balance after he was forced off with an injury scare against New York Red Bulls.

New England Revolution possible starting lineup:

Turner; Miller, Fofana, Ceballos, Feingold; Polster, Yusuf; Ganago, Gil, Langoni; Campana

Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:

Kahlina; Byrne, Malanda, Ream, Marshall-Rutty; Westwood, Diani, Bronico; Zaha, Toklomati, Vargas

We say: New England Revolution 1-1 Charlotte FC

Charlotte are the more in-form team heading into this one, but New England have home advantage as well as a good record in this fixture on their side.

We are backing a share of the spoils with honours even at the sound of the final whistle.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.