Portland Timbers will aim to stretch their unbeaten MLS run to 10 matches when they play host to Dallas at Providence Park on Saturday.
Giovanni Savarese's men played out a 1-1 draw at home to Nashville in midweek, while the visitors fell to a 1-0 loss against the Seattle Sounders.
Match preview
© Reuters
Still hanging onto their playoff berth by the thinnest of threads, the Portland Timbers missed out on the chance to usurp Nashville in the Western Conference standings as they shared the spoils with their Tennessee neighbours on Wednesday night.
Teal Bunbury struck for Nashville in the 20th minute before Santiago Moreno responded for the Timbers not long after, and a nine-game unbeaten run has at least allowed Savarese's side to surge into playoff contention during the summer months.
At this moment in time, Portland are in the seventh and final playoff spot in the Western Conference but are only one point clear of LA Galaxy, while the Seattle Sounders are also within touching distance of Savarese's men.
With 39 goals at the correct end of the pitch - the third highest in the Western Conference behind Los Angeles and Austin - ruthlessness is not the issue for Portland, who also boast a respectable record of 11 points from the last 15 on offer at home.
© Reuters
Dallas cannot be caught by Portland if the footballing gods are not in their favour this weekend, but their midweek endeavours did them no favours, as they were quelled on the attacking front in a 1-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders.
Nico Estevez's side had previously posted a pair of 1-0 successes over Real Salt Lake and LA Galaxy, but Nicolas Lodeiro's 39th-minute penalty was enough to get the job done for Seattle in midweek, and an immediate response is required from Dallas.
The Burn are still sitting comfortably in fourth place in the Western Conference, with a playoff berth therefore still in their own hands, but two wins from 10 MLS encounters is hardly inspiring form.
Fixtures between Portland and Dallas have followed a similar pattern over the past couple of years, as the Burn have thumped the Timbers 4-1 during their last two home clashes, but the Texas-based outfit have suffered back-to-back 1-0 losses away from their headquarters.
- D
- W
- D
- W
- D
- D
- D
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Portland Timbers are once again expected to be without Diego Gutierrez and Felipe Mora with foot and knee injuries respectively, and a trio of others are also marked down as questionable for the contest.
George Fochive, Eryk Williamson and Cristhian Paredes were not involved in midweek, and the quick turnaround time could render all three men unavailable for the weekend's showdown too.
On a brighter note, Diego Chara and Dairon Asprilla will return from suspensions for Saturday's game, but Claudio Bravo's hamstring problem is yet to let up either.
Meanwhile, Dallas midfielder Facundo Quignon is still dealing with an adductor issue and will likely miss out, while centre-back Joshue Quinonez only lasted 45 minutes of the defeat to Seattle.
Quinonez was sacrificed for an attacker in the form of Jesus Ferreira on Tuesday night, and the 21-year-old - who leads his team in goals and assists this term - ought to return to the first XI here.
Portland Timbers possible starting lineup:
Ivacic; Van Rankin, Zuparic, Mabiala, Rasmussen; Moreno, Ayala, D. Chara, Y. Chara; Niezgoda, Blanco
Dallas possible starting lineup:
Paes; Nanu, Martinez, Hedges, Farfan; Cerrillo, Serviana; Arriola, Ferreira, Velasco; Jara
We say: Portland Timbers 1-1 Dallas
Neither manager will boast a squad devoid of fatigue or jellied legs following their midweek exploits, but an expected return of Ferreira to the first XI for Dallas spells optimism for the inconsistent visitors.
Defeat at home has been a rarity for Portland over the past few weeks, though, and we would not be surprised to see this one end level either.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
