Dallas will be aiming to pick up a third consecutive victory for the first time since November 2020 when they visit the GEODIS Park to face Nashville SC on Sunday.
The home side, who are without a win in any of their last six outings, will head into the weekend desperate to arrest their slump in form and move into the playoffs places.
Match preview
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Nashville failed to find their feet in the MLS as they were on the receiving end of a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Minnesota United last Monday.
Hany Mukhtar netted his 14th league goal shortly after the hour mark to cancel out Franco Fragapane's first-half opener, but Alan Benitez struck in the 75th minute to hand the Wizards all three points.
Gary Smith's side have now failed to taste victory in any of their last six games, picking up just three points from a possible 18 since their 1-0 victory over Seattle Sounders on July 14.
This drop-off in form has seen Nashville fall out of the playoff places in the Western Conference as they currently sit ninth in the standings, just below Seattle in the final playoff qualification spot on goal difference.
While they will be looking to end this dry spell and return into the top half of the table, they have managed just one win in their last nine home games, while losing four and claiming four draws in that time.
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Dallas, on the other hand, maintained their fine run of results as they held on for a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Philadelphia Union when the sides met on Thursday.
American forward Jesus Ferreira continued his red-hot form in front of goal as he netted four minutes after the half-hour mark to hand the Burn all three points at the Toyota Stadium.
Dallas, who have now won two consecutive games for just the second time since March, head into the weekend without a win on their last two travels, losing 1-0 at Seattle Sounders on August 3 before holding out for a 1-1 draw with Portland Timbers four days later.
However, Nico Estevez's men will fancy their chances of ending this dry spell this weekend as they go up against an opposing side who have lost their most recent two meetings between the teams.
Dallas have picked up 11 wins, nine draws and lost seven of their 27 games so far to collect 42 points and sit third in the Western Conference standings, six points off second-placed Austin FC who have two games in hand.
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Team News
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Nashville will be without the services of Ivorian forward Ake Arnaud Loba, who is set to sit out his fifth consecutive game through a muscle injury.
Strike partner Handwalla Bwana has been out of action since sustaining an injury back in May and the 25-year-old is also out of contention for the home side.
As far as Dallas are concerned, they will have to cope without the goalscoring threat of Ferreira, who is currently second in the league's scoring chart and also boasts five assists to his name.
The 21-year-old will play no part in this weekend's matchup due to a one-match suspension after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking against Philadelphia Union on Thursday.
On the injury front, Estevez will be unable to call upon the services of Argentine midfielder Facundo Quignon, who has missed the last five games through a muscle problem.
He is joined on the Burn's injury list by fellow midfielder Brandon Servania after the USA international came off injured midway through the game against Portland Timbers on August 7.
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Moore, Zimmerman, Romney, Lovitz; Muyl, McCarty, Davis, Bunbury; Mukhtar, Sapong
Dallas possible starting lineup:
Paes; Twumasi, Hedges, Martinez, Farfan; Lletget, Ntsabeleng, Cerrillo; Arriola, Jara, Velasco
We say: Nashville SC 1-2 Dallas
While Nashville will be looking to return to winning ways and move into the playoffs places, they face a spirited Dallas side who have picked up four wins and two draws from their last seven games. The Burn eased to a 2-0 victory when the sides met in March's reverse fixture and we predict a similar result with the home side leaving empty handed once again.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
