Portland Timbers take on Los Angeles FC in the Western Conference of the MLS on Wednesday, with both sides aiming to establish themselves in the playoff positions.
The visitors are five points ahead of their forthcoming opponents, albeit having played a game more than them, so it is a huge match for both sides.
Match preview
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Portland secured a crucial 1-0 victory against bottom of the table FC Dallas at the weekend to move into the seventh and final playoff position.
Giovanni Savarese's side, who reached the first round of the playoffs last season, left it late to snatch the win, with Jeremy Ebobisse scoring an 84th-mintue winner.
The Timbers had gained only one point from their previous three matches, losing consecutive games to Minnesota United and Austin FC, so it was important for them to bounce back against a team they are widely expected to finish above.
However, Wednesday's home match against Los Angeles will be a far bigger test given their forthcoming opponents' attacking firepower and recent run of results.
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Indeed, Bob Bradley's side head to Oregon having won three matches in a row after the weekend's 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake.
Like their forthcoming opponents' aforementioned recent victory, the Black and Gold had to be patient in securing a crucial three points, with former Arsenal forward Carlos Vela dispatching a 79th-minute winner after Diego Rossi had earlier provided the hosts with the lead in the 10th minute.
Bradley's improving team could actually be in the midst of a five-match winning run had it not been for Tristan Blackmon's second-half dismissal when leading 1-0 away to Sporting Kansas City last month, with the hosts making the most of their one-man advantage to come from behind and secure a win.
However, on current form at least, Los Angeles look to have more than enough about them to make it four seasons out of four in terms of reaching the playoffs since joining the MLS in 2018.
Former USA manager Bradley will be hoping they can go all of the way by winning a maiden MLS Cup, which is well within their collective capabilities.
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Team News
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Portland have a significant amount of injuries within their squad, with Andy Polo, Jeff Attinella and Ismaila Jome all expected to be out for the rest of the calendar year with serious injuries.
Cristhian Paredes and Jaroslaw Niezgoda will not feature against Los Angeles, either, due to thigh and ACL injuries respectively.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, will remain without forward Kwadwo Opoku, who has not featured since May due to a knee problem.
Otherwise, however, Bradley appears to be blessed with a fully-fit squad, with no changes expected from the XI which secured their last two victories.
Portland Timbers possible starting lineup:
Clark; Bonilla, Mabiala, Zuparic, Van Rankin; Ebobisse, Zambrano, Chara, Asprilla; Mora, Chara
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Romero; Kim, Segura, Murillo, Farfan; Blessing, Atuesta, Edwards; Cifuentes; Rossi, Vela
We say: Portland Timbers 0-2 Los Angeles FC
We can envisage a fairly comfortable victory for the visitors on Wednesday, which would open up a significant gap for them inside the playoff positions.
Bradley's side are on excellent form at the moment and are gifted by a lack of injuries, especially compared to their depleted opponents, who would probably consider seventh place at the end of the season to be an excellent achievement as things stand.
Top tip
Brett Curtis
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 Los Angeles FC win with a probability of 41.03%. A win for Portland Timbers had a probability of 34.61% and a draw had a probability of 24.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Los Angeles FC win was 1-2 with a probability of 8.79%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (7.97%) and 0-2 (6.22%). The likeliest Portland Timbers win was 2-1 (7.97%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.27%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 8% likelihood.
