Minnesota United are looking to return to winning ways on Sunday when they travel to struggling Houston Dynamo in the MLS Western Conference.
Adrian Heath's side have only managed one win in their last six outings, which came against this weekend's opponents at the beginning of August, while Houston did end a four-game run of defeats with a draw last time out.
Match preview
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Houston have not tasted victory since the end of May when they beat Vancouver Whitecaps, now putting together a run of 14 games without a win, which places them at the bottom of the Western Conference.
Fabrice Picault and Matias Vera earned Houston a point at the BBVA Stadium last weekend when Dallas made the short trip across Texas, which was a missed opportunity to draw level on points with their visitors.
One positive from that game will be that Picault has now scored four goals in his last five games, and he has already bettered his goal tallies from the previous two MLS seasons, when he played for Philadelphia Union and Dallas.
Tab Ramos's side have only lost once at home this season, despite their poor league position, which they will have to take confidence from heading into Sunday's clash with Minnesota.
This game on Sunday is Houston's second at home in a run of four back-to-back fixtures at the BBVA Stadium, so they will see it as a good time to capitalise on their slightly better home form to pick up much needed points.
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Minnesota have not managed more than two consecutive victories in the MLS this season, and after their victory against Houston, the side have not won in three matches.
In their last outing, Heath's side could not capitalise on their numerical advantage after Remi Walter was sent off for Sporting Kansas City just 21 minutes into that game.
The home side went on to dominate possession and register seven shots on target, but Tim Melia stayed strong in Sporting's goal to keep Minnesota out.
Compared to the teams around and particularly above Minnesota, the side are not as prolific in front of goal, only scoring 22 goals so far, and they will need to be wary of Portland Timbers in eighth, as they are only four points behind.
Minnesota were comfortable winners when these two sides last met, with goals from Robin Lod and Brent Kallman securing a 2-0 win for the home side at the Allianz Field.
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Team News
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Corey Baird joined Houston from Los Angeles FC in July but only managed three games before suffering a ligament injury, which has ruled him out of action until October.
Tyler Pasher has not featured for Houston since he was forced off in the first half against Austin at the beginning of August, and Sunday's clash with Minnesota is likely to come too early for his return.
Maximiliano Urruti returned to the starting 11 last time out, in place of Ariel Lassiter, which was the only change from the side which started against Salt Lake, and Ramos is expected to name the same lineup to the one that started last time out.
Heath is faced with an attacking shortage heading into Sunday's fixture, with Niko Hansen, Franco Fragapane and top goalscorer Lod all unavailable for selection due to injury.
Adrien Hunou will lead the line for the visitors, with Emanuel Reynoso behind him looking to create chances from an attacking midfield role and add to his three assists this season.
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Maric; Lundqvist, Hadebe, Parker, Valentin; Ceren, Vera; Picault, Carrasquilla, Dorsey; Urruti
Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
Miller; Gasper, Dibassy, Boxall, Metanire; Trapp, Alonso; Dotson, Reynoso, Finlay; Hunou
We say: Houston Dynamo 1-1 Minnesota United
Houston have an opportunity to string a few positive results together during their run of back-to-back games at home, and they will back themselves to get on the scoresheet after netting twice last time out.
Minnesota are not in great form having only won once in their last six games, and their recent games have been low scoring and that is likely to continue on Sunday as the side continue without Robin Lod.
Top tip
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 Houston Dynamo win with a probability of 40.41%. A win for Minnesota United had a probability of 34.93% and a draw had a probability of 24.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Houston Dynamo win was 2-1 with a probability of 8.73%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (8.24%) and 2-0 (6.26%). The likeliest Minnesota United win was 1-2 (8.02%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.49%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with an 8% likelihood.
