Atlanta United will be hoping to take a step closer to securing their place in the final series when they take on Inter Miami at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in MLS on Saturday night.
The hosts are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings with six games left to play in the regular season, while the visitors are down in 14th, though they do have a couple of games in hand on the sides above them.
Match preview
© Reuters
Atlanta come into this match off the back of an entertaining 2-2 draw away to FC Dallas in their last match, although they would likely feel that it was a missed opportunity after taking the lead before the hour mark.
Georgios Giakoumakis and Saba Lobjanidze were the players on target for their side in that match, but a Bernard Kamungo goal in the 62nd minute denied them the win, leaving them on 42 points, 15 behind leaders Cincinnati.
Over the course of the season, the hosts have recorded 11 wins, nine draws and eight losses, though they do have the Eastern Conference's joint-worst defensive record of 43 goals conceded so far.
Still, the Five Stripes will be relatively content with their performance so far this term as they are five places above where they ended last season and have already surpassed the 40-point tally they managed across the entire previous league campaign.
While they did lose their last home game to the league leaders, Atlanta's main strength this season has been their form at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where they have secured 27 of their 42 points and currently have the seventh-best home record across both conferences.
© Reuters
Meanwhile, Inter Miami continued their extraordinary turnaround even without their talisman Lionel Messi, who was away on international duty with Argentina in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.
Gerardo Martino's side saw off Sporting KC 3-2 in their last match with a brace from Leonardo Campana and a third goal by Facundo Farias that kept them in the battle for the final series playoff places.
As it stands, Inter Miami are on 28 points after 26 matches, which is six points behind DC United, who are currently in ninth, although Wayne Rooney's team have played two games more than Martino's side.
With that victory over Sporting, the visitors have now extended their incredible record of late to 12 games unbeaten in all competitions, which included winning the Leagues Cup for the first time in their history.
The Herons are undoubtedly the side that nobody wants to face right now, and despite being the bookmakers' marginal underdog in this match, it would take a brave soul to write them off from claiming another scalp in their late-season surge.
Team News
© Reuters
The hosts will have three absentees for this match, with Machop Chol and Osvaldo Alonso both expected to miss this match through injury, while Jamal Thiare has been granted leave for personal reasons.
Giakoumakis notched his 13th goal of the campaign in the last match, which put him second in the top goal scorer standings, and he should lead the line with the support of Lobzhanidze.
As for the visitors, all eyes will be on Messi and whether the World Cup champion will be fit to start this match after sitting out Argentina's second match with a slight niggle.
Aside from that, there are four confirmed absentees for Inter Miami, with Gregore, Corentin Jean, Franco Negri and Ian Fray are ruled out through injury.
Atlanta United possible starting lineup:
Guzan; Lennon, Robinson, Abram, Wiley; Sosa, Sejdic, Wolff, Almada; Giakoumakis, Lobzhanidze
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
Callender; Yedlin, Aviles, Miller, Alba; Arroyo, Busquets, Gomez; Taylor, Martinez, Messi
We say: Atlanta United 2-3 Inter Miami
With both these sides finding the net relatively easily of late while also shipping their fair share at the other end of the pitch, this has the makings of a goal fest. However, with excellent form over the last few months, we feel the visitors will manage to outscore their opponents.
How to watch
You can watch Atlanta United vs. Inter Miami and every MLS match this season live on Apple TV. Click here for more details on how to subscribe.For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
