Houston Dynamo will be looking to secure their first MLS home win since June when they welcome Real Salt Lake to the Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday evening.
Having suffered a humbling 3-0 defeat when the two sides met in the Leagues Cup group stages in August, the Claret and Cobalt will head into the weekend looking to get one over the hosts and secure their first away win since June 20.
Match preview
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With just over a month of the regular season left to go, Houston Dynamo staked their claim for a playoff spot as they held on to secure a point against Los Angeles FC when the two sides squared off last weekend.
While Houston were second-favourites on paper, head coach Ben Olsen would have seen it as two points dropped rather than a point gained as his side failed to convert their chances despite being in the ascendancy for most of the game.
This followed an impressive 2-0 victory over Los Angeles in the first of their Western Conference double-header on September 1, when Ezequiel Ponce and Lawrence Ennali scored on either side of the half-time break to end their run of two back-to-back defeats.
With last weekend's stalemate, Houston Dynamo have now gone unbeaten in five of their last six MLS games — picking up three wins and two draws — a run which has bolstered their hopes of securing post-season football.
The Orange Crush currently occupy the final automatic playoff spot, having picked up 41 points from their 27 league matches to sit seventh in the Western Conference standings while they boast a five-point cushion over 10th-placed Dallas outside the play-in places.
Houston Dynamo will be backing themselves to return to winning ways this weekend as they take on an opposing side who have failed to win any of their last nine visits to the Shell Energy Stadium, losing five wins and four draws since a 2-1 victory in August 2018.
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Real Salt Lake, on the other hand, picked up three huge points in their quest for the conference title last time out when they secured a 2-0 victory over New England Revolution at the America First Field.
Ecuador international Anderson Julio netted right on the stroke of half time to swing the game in the hosts' favour before Philip Quinton doubled their lead with a 56th-minute strike to hand the Revs their 15th league defeat.
Prior to that, Pablo Mastroeni's men were on run of two successive defeats, losing 3-0 against Houston Dynamo in the Leagues Cup group stages on August 6, three weeks before suffering a 2-0 home loss at the hands of San Jose Earthquakes, and had picked up just one point from their previous four league matches.
The Claret and Cobalt have now won 13 of their 27 MLS matches so far while losing six and claiming eight draws to collect 47 points and sit third in the Western Conference table, five points off first-placed Los Angeles Galaxy, albeit with one game in hand.
While Real Salt Lake will be looking to secure consecutive victories and move within touching distance of the Galaxy, they have failed to taste victory in their last four away games and have managed just one win in 10 matches on the road since the start of May.
Team News
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Houston Dynamo will have to cope without Argentine full-back Franco Escobar, who is currently suspended after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking against Los Angeles last time out.
In his absence, former Australia international Brad Smith will push for a starting role, forming the back with Griffin Dorsey, Erik Sviatchenko and 24-year-old Micael.
On the injury front, Olsen will be unable to call upon the services of Nelson Quinones (knee), Gabriel Segal (head) and Ennali (knee), who all continue their spells on the sidelines.
As for Real Salt Lake, Venezuelan defender Brayan Vera missed the game against the Revs last time out and is a major doubt for this weekend's clash, while Pablo Ruiz is currently recuperating from a knee problem.
Colombian midfielder Nelson Palacio has missed the last four matches since coming off with a knee injury against San Jose Earthquakes on August 25 while Cristian Arango also continues his spell on the sidelines through a hamstring injury.
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Clark; Dorsey, Sviatchenko, Micael, Smith; Herrera, Kowalczyk, Artur; Bassi, Ponce, Aliyu
Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:
Beavers; Brown, Glad, Quinton, Katranis; Eneli, Ojeda; Brook, Goncalves, Luna; Julio
We say: Houston Dynamo 2-1 Real Salt Lake
The last seven meetings between Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake have produced a combined 22 goals and we expect another end-to-end affair at the Shell Energy Stadium this weekend. Olsen's men boast a dominant home record against the Clarets and Cobalt and we are backing them to come away with the desired result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
