Two teams that have had a poor Major League Soccer season will face off when the San Jose Earthquakes host St Louis City at PayPal Park on Sunday.
Both sides have endured a tough campaign so far, with the hosts sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference and the visitors just one place above them.
Match preview
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San Jose Earthquakes are the only team in the MLS already mathematically out of playoff contention, which will see them play only for pride in their remaining five league matches.
Ian Russell's men, who have only won five league games all season long and without a win in their last three matches, were able to salvage a 2-2 draw against Seattle Sounders last time out.
The Goonies took the lead in the 16th minute via Amahl Pellegrino, but they went into the break trailing after Jordan Morris's first-half brace for Seattle. However, with the game looking to end in another loss, Paul Marie stepped up in the 89th minute to restore parity for San Jose.
Next in line for Russell's side is a game against a side they have never beaten – San Jose have met St Louis three times in the past, and they have lost all of those encounters.
However, with just pride left to play for, the visitors will set out looking to end their abysmal record on home soil, with eight defeats from their last 11 outings.
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St Louis City's three-match unbeaten run came to an end last weekend, as they suffered a 3-1 defeat against Minnesota United at CityPark.
Cedric Teuchert gave the Missouri side an early lead in the fourth minute, but goals from Bongokuhle Hlongwane, an own goal by Jayden Reid, and a penalty converted by Kelvin Yeboah turned the match around for Minnesota, handing St Louis their 11th MLS loss of the season.
Although mathematically still possible, the visitors' chances of reaching the playoffs are extremely slim, as they are 11 points behind the final playoff spot with just five matches remaining.
John Hackworth, who took over as interim head coach after the sacking of Bradley Carnell in July, will be aiming to guide the team to the best possible finish.
However, St Louis will have to end an 18-match winless streak on the road across all competitions, a run that stretches back to September 2023.
Team News
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San Jose have up to seven players sidelined with injuries ahead of this clash, while Preston Judd's participation is uncertain.
Benji Kikanovic, Michael Baldisimo, Vitor Costa, JT Marcinkowski, Will Richmond, Jamar Ricketts and Bruno Wilson are all out with lower body injuries.
St Louis City will continue to be without the services of Joakim Nilsson and Tomas Ostrak, who have been sidelined due to hamstring and ankle injuries respectively.
Brazilian midfielder Cwlio Pompeu has been out with a foot injury since June and the 24-year-old remains unavailable for Sunday's match.
San Jose Earthquakes possible starting lineup:
Daniel; Verhoeven, Munie, Rodrigues, Akapo; Tsakiris, Gruezo; Lopez, Espinoza, Pellegrino; Bouda
St Louis City possible starting lineup:
Burki; Nerwinski, Kessler, Hiebert, Horn; Durkin, Lowen; Teuchert, Hartel, Becher; Klauss
We say: San Jose Earthquakes 1-1 St Louis City
St Louis still have a slim chance of making it to the playoffs, giving them something to play for compared to San Jose, who are already out of contention.
Although the visitors have dominated this fixture in the past, their away form leaves much to be desired, and that is why we believe the best they can hope for in this match is a draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
