El Trafico takes place on Sunday at the Banc of California Stadium, where Los Angeles Galaxy travel to take on rivals Los Angeles FC in the MLS Western Conference.
The two sides have already met this season on May 9, when Greg Vanney's side came out as winners thanks to goals from Javier Hernandez and Jonathan dos Santos.
Match preview
© Reuters
Bob Bradley's side are still in the hunt for a final series playoff spot, currently only three points behind San Jose Earthquakes, who sit in seventh, and LAFC claim the advantage of having a game in hand.
However, the Black and Gold's recent form has seen them slip away from the top seven, being winless in seven games and losing their last four on the bounce.
On Sunday, Los Angeles FC threw away a one-goal lead given to them through Diego Rossi's penalty, eventually conceding an 89th-minute strike from Vancouver Whitecaps' Ryan Gould.
LA will be pleased to return to California this Sunday, having played their last three games away from home, and they have taken more than twice as many points at home than they have done on their travels.
© Reuters
Vanney's side enter Sunday's clash on the back of two defeats, which is the first time the team have recorded consecutive losses in the league this season.
Both games against Colorado Rapids and San Jose Earthquakes followed the same pattern of LA Galaxy having to equalise after initially falling behind, before the away sides found a winner and each game finished 2-1 against Vanney's side.
Galaxy are firmly positioned in the playoff positions, sitting in fourth and 11 points clear of Portland Timbers, who sit just outside the top seven, but LA Galaxy will feel that their defensive record has prevented them from keeping up with Western Conference leaders Seattle Sounders.
Goalkeeper Jonathan Bond has conceded 32 goals in the 20 matches he has featured in this campaign, at least 11 more than the three teams above them.
Manager Vanney was not impressed by his side's defensive efforts last time out against San Jose, describing their defending as not good enough, but the 47-year-old took responsibility for the amount of goals his side have conceded.
In the last three meetings between these two sides, the home side have come out on top, but LA Galaxy were the last team to win this fixture away from home in the second derby of last season.
- D
- D
- L
- L
- L
- L
- W
- W
- D
- W
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Los Angeles FC winger Kwadwo Opoku is close to recovering from a knee injury he suffered at the end of May, but the derby on Sunday is expected to come too soon for the 20-year-old and he will continue to be sidelined.
Centre-back Eddie Segura is another player unavailable for Bradley this weekend, but new central defender Sebastien Ibeagha, who signed from New York City at the beginning of this month, could make his first start for the club.
LA FC top goalscorer Rossi ended a six-game goal drought last time out with his penalty kick against Vancouver, and he will be looking to prevent another string of games without finding the back of the net.
Galaxy's biggest threat in front of goal, Hernandez, has been sidelined since the end of June with a calf injury, and it is likely that he will not recovery in time for Sunday's derby.
The Mexican's absence gives new striker Dejan Joveljic another opportunity to lead the line for Galaxy, and he will be going in search of his first goal for the club after making three appearances since arriving this month.
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Romero; Farfan, Fall, Murillo, Kim; Cifuentes, Atuesta, Blessing; Rossi, Vela, Rodriguez
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
Bond; Hamalainen, DePuy, Coulibaly, Araujo; Lletget, Ravelson; Cabral, Kljestan, Alvarez; Joveljic
We say: Los Angeles FC 2-2 Los Angeles Galaxy
Bradley's side will be glad to return to California this weekend and a home game could be what they need to break their run of consecutive defeats.
Galaxy's frailties defensively have cost them points in recent games and Sunday is likely to be no different, however, they will look to attack the game and could be rewarded by scoring a couple of goals to earn a point against their rivals.
Top tip
Sammy Wynne
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 65.4%. A draw had a probability of 19.3% and a win for Los Angeles Galaxy had a probability of 15.25%.
The most likely scoreline for a Los Angeles FC win was 2-0 with a probability of 10.39%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.87%) and 1-0 (9.53%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.06%), while for a Los Angeles Galaxy win it was 1-2 (4.3%). The actual scoreline of 3-3 was predicted with a 1.1% likelihood.
