Preview: Sporting Kansas City vs Colorado Rapids - prediction, team news, lineups

Sporting Kansas City set out in search of their first win since the first week of July when they play host to Colorado Rapids at Children's Mercy Park on Saturday evening.

With just six games to go in the regular season, the Pids find themselves in a heated race for an automatic playoff spot and will be looking to bounce back from a humbling defeat against LA Galaxy.

Match preview

Sporting Kansas City were guilty of another woeful defensive display in the league as they suffered a 5-2 hammering against Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field on Monday.

In-form striker Daniel Musovski turned in a performance of the highest quality in the action-packed contest as he netted a hat-trick to fire Seattle to a fifth straight home victory across all competitions.

With that result, Kerry Zavagnin’s men have now lost four consecutive matches and have failed to win any of their last six, claiming one point from a possible 18, having gone unbeaten in the three matches preceding this run (W2, D1).

Sporting Kansas City’s last victory came against Colorado Rapids in the reverse fixture on July 5, when Dejan Joveljic and Erik Thommy netted either side of the half-time interval at the Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

While the Wizards will be looking to replicate that display and potentially kick-start a late push for post-season football, results at home offer little optimism as they have won just one of their most recent seven matches at Children's Mercy Park since May 25.

While Colorado Rapids boast the quality and firepower needed to comfortably secure a playoff spot this season, their lack of consistency has been a major hindrance in this pursuit.

Last term, Chris Armas’s men secured the final automatic qualifying ticket by just three points despite losing each of their final four matches, and they could be in for another rollercoaster ride in the season’s run-in.

Having picked up successive victories over Minnesota United and Atlanta United in their first two league matches in August, Colorado were sent back down to earth last weekend as they fell to a 3-0 defeat against LA Galaxy.

In a one-sided affair at the Dignity Health Sports Park, Harbor Miller, Elijah Wynder and substitute Gabriel Pec all found the back of the net to snap LA Galaxy’s run of four consecutive league matches without a win.

Colorado have 12 of their 28 MLS matches so far while claiming 10 wins and six draws to collect 36 points and sit seventh in the table, one point above eighth-placed San Jose Earthquakes just outside the automatic playoff places and 12 points above this weekend’s hosts in 13th place.

While the Pids will be looking to return to winning ways this weekend, they have failed to win 10 of their last 11 away matches in the league, losing seven and claiming three draws since picking up back-to-back victories over Austin and San Jose Earthquakes in March.

Sporting Kansas City Major League Soccer form:

Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer form:

Colorado Rapids form (all competitions):

Team News

Sporting Kansas City will have to cope without the Spanish duo of Joaquin Fernandes and Manu Garcia, who are currently recuperating from hamstring and thigh injuries respectively.

Alan Montes and Memo Rodrigues missed the game against Seattle last time out, with the latter failing to make the matchday squad after being an unused substitute in the two previous matches.

Experienced midfielder and club captain Thommy is set to sit out his seventh straight game since coming off with a hip injury against Colorado Rapids in July’s reverse fixture.

As for Colorado Rapids, Armas will be unable to name the duo of Wayne Frederick and Connor Ronan, who have been sidelined through shoulder and ankle injuries respectively.

They are joined on the club’s injury table by 23-year-old Josh Atencio, who has missed each of the last six matches since picking up an injury against Philadelphia Union on July 27.

Sporting Kansas City possible starting lineup:

Pulskamp; Shelton, Voloder, Miller, Leibold; Salloi, Bassong, Davis, Munoz; Joveljic, Toye

Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:

Steffen; Cannon, Maxso, Cobb, Vines; Bassett, Larraz; Harris, Yapi, Ku-DiPietro; Navarro

We say: Sporting Kansas City 2-2 Colorado Rapids

While Sporting Kansas City have struggled for results in recent weeks, they will fancy their chances against a Colorado side who have managed just one victory in their last 11 MLS games on the road.

There have been a winner in six of the previous seven meetings between the two teams, but we predict that they will cancel out each other’s efforts at Children's Mercy Park this weekend.

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