On Sunday, we will discover which East 7 side will join DC United in the knockout phase of the Leagues Cup when Atlanta United host Santos Laguna at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Five Stripes began the competition by losing on penalties to DC United, while Laguna suffered a 3-0 defeat to the Black and Red on Wednesday.
Match preview
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Atlanta put forth a valiant effort on matchday one, coming back from a 3-1 deficit, but in the end, they could not maintain their composure from the spot.
That means they must do something this weekend that has never been done in their history, emerge victorious from a Leagues Cup clash.
Rob Valentino's men have not lost a competitive fixture at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in normal time since suffering a 3-2 defeat versus Charlotte FC in early June.
Avoiding a defeat after 90 minutes on Sunday would give them, at worst, two points, which would mark the most for this club in the group stage of this competition.
In the Leagues Cup, this team have never lost a match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after 90 minutes, with their only two home games ending in a shootout loss for the Five Stripes.
Their only three victories against sides from Liga MX occurred on their home field, with Atlanta posting two clean sheets in those three triumphs.
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It has been a rough few months for Santos Laguna, a side that are winless in their last 11 encounters across all competitions.
Among their numerous flaws since April has been a massive lack of quality in front of goal, with Verdiblancos scoring just two goals in their last nine encounters.
With their defeat on Wednesday, Ignacio Ambriz's men are now goalless in three consecutive matches across all competitions, though their loss to the Black and Red was the first time they had failed to find the back of the net in this tournament.
Despite being thoroughly outplayed by DC on Wednesday, a victory of any kind this weekend would see them advance beyond the group phase for the first time.
A win against Atlanta would mark the first time Guerreros advance beyond the group stage of an international tournament since the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions Cup when they made it all the way to the semi-finals.
Not only have they struggled in front of goal, but Laguna have been equally poor when going in front, failing to win their previous four competitive fixtures when scoring first.
Team News
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Edwin Mosquera was an unused substitute for Atlanta in their opening game at the Leagues Cup, having previously suffered a knee injury, while Noah Cobb will not be available after the USA advanced into the semi-finals of the Under-20 CONCACAF Championship.
A brace by Daniel Rios and a goal courtesy of Saba Lobzhanidze forced penalties last week, where Brooks Lennon and Bartosz Slisz failed to convert their spot kicks, sending them to defeat.
In their Wednesday fixture, Laguna were without Pedro Aquino and Ronaldo Prieto due to knee issues, Jose Juan Macias was sidelined because of a muscle injury and Harold Preciado is still suspended for alleged doping.
Carlos Acevedo has been under siege between the sticks lately, with the Guerreros keeper facing 13 targeted efforts combined in his last two starts, conceding three goals both times.
Atlanta United possible starting lineup:
Cohen; Lennon, Gregersen, Williams, Hernandez; McCarty, Fortune, Slisz; Lobzhanidze, Rios, Thiare
Santos Laguna possible starting lineup:
Acevedo; Medina, Nunez, Rodriguez, Echeverria; Mariscal, Naveda; Carrillo, Fagundez, Sordo; Lozano
We say: Atlanta United 3-1 Santos Laguna
Anything can happen in a winner-take-all scenario, but Santos Laguna appear to be psychologically broken, which is why we project the Five Stripes will win comfortably.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
