The action continues in Major League Soccer this weekend as Portland Timbers and Austin FC go head to head at Providence Park on Sunday morning.
While the Timbers will be looking to pick up a third win on the trot for the first time since September, the visitors set out to snap their six-match winless run and get their campaign up and running.
Match preview
© Reuters
After stumbling into the new campaign, head coach Giovanni Savarese will be impressed with his side's turnaround as Portland Timbers appear to have finally hit their stride.
The 2015 MLS champions turned in another impressive team performance last Sunday when they picked up a thrilling 2-1 victory over St Louis City at the CityPark.
Following an uneventful first half, Evander and Yimmi Chara scored either side of Celio Martins's 79th-minute equaliser to hand the hosts their third defeat of the season.
This followed a 3-1 win over Orange County in the US Open Cup on April 27, when Marvin Loria, Tyler Clegg and Jaroslaw Niezgoda found the target to send the Timbers through to the fourth round.
Portland Timbers head into the weekend on a run of three wins from their last four matches across all competitions, having managed just one win in their opening seven outings preceding that run.
With 11 points from their 10 league matches, Savarese's men are currently eighth in the Western Conference standings, level on points with ninth-placed Vancouver Whitecaps.
© Reuters
Austin FC, on the other hand, failed to arrest their slump as they could only salvage a 2-2 draw against San Jose Earthquakes at the Q2 Stadium last weekend.
The Goonies took the lead twice in the game courtesy of Jackson Yueill and Jeremy Ebobisse but Emiliano Rigoni and Sebastian Driussi were on target for the hosts to force a share of the spoils.
Despite their spirited display, Josh Wolff's men have now gone six consecutive games without a win, a run stretching back to their 2-0 victory over Violette in the CONCACAF Championship League on March 15.
Los Verdes' last MLS win came on March 12, when Jon Gallagher and Owen Wolff scored either side of Justen Glad's 22nd-minute equaliser to edge out Real Salt Lake at the Rio Tinto Stadium.
Austin FC are currently 11th in the Western Conference table, level on nine points with 12th-placed Colorado Rapids, but victory this weekend could take them level with seventh-placed Minnesota United
Team News
© Reuters
Portland Timbers suffered a fresh injury blow after David Ayala was forced off with an ACL injury inside the opening half hour in last Sunday's victory against St Louis City.
The Argentine midfielder, who started each of the previous three league matches, will miss the entire 2023 campaign after undergoing a season-ending surgery in midweek.
Ayala joins fellow midfielder Eryk Williamson on the Timbers' long-term injury list after the 25-year-old suffered an ACL injury in the game against Dallas on April 2.
Other names on the hosts' injury table include Sebastian Blanco and Felipe Mora, who are both battling knee problems, and 33-year-old David Bingham, who has missed the last six matches through a hamstring injury.
As for Austin, Wolff will be unable to call upon the services of defender Zan Kolmanic, who is also out for the season after tearing his ACL during a training session.
Diego Fagundez has missed the last two matches after picking up a groin injury against Vancouver Whitecaps on April 16 and is expected to sit out the trip to Providence Park.
Portland Timbers possible starting lineup:
Ivacic; Mosquera, Zuparic, McGraw, Miller; Moreno, Chara, Paredes, Loría; Boli, Evander
Austin FC possible starting lineup:
Stuver; Lima, Ring, Vaisanen, Lundqvist; Redes, Valencia, Pereira, Rigoni; Urruti, Driussi
We say: Portland Timbers 2-1 Austin FC
After a slow start to the season, Austin FC will set out in search of a pick-me-up as they look to get their season up and running. However, they face a Portland side who have settled and hit their stride in recent weeks.
Austin have lost their last three away matches and we predict this run will continue with the Timbers prevailing in this one.
How to watch
You can watch Portland Timbers vs. Austin FC 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.
Joshua Ojele
