Los Angeles Galaxy can consolidate their place in the Major League Soccer playoff spot when they travel to fellow Western Conference side Houston Dynamo on Thursday morning.
There will be no playoffs for Houston, who are languishing down in the bottom half of the table, whilst the Galaxy currently occupy one of the seven coveted spots.
Match preview
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It has been a mixed season for the Galaxy, who started the campaign with one defeat from their opening five, before large spells of inconsistent form have seen their Supporters' Shield hopes disappear.
Entering the final five rounds of fixtures, the record champions should have enough to get over the line and qualify for their 20th MLS playoffs.
Despite boasting the most MLS Cup wins in the division's history, LA Galaxy have had an indifferent relationship with the competition since their last success in 2014, missing out on the playoffs three times in the following six seasons.
One of those occasions came last year, when they finished a lengthy eight points behind fellow Californian side San Jose Earthquakes, whilst crashing out in the group stage of the MLS is Back tournament without winning a single game.
Dominic Kinnear was brought in midway through the season the steady a sinking Galaxy ship, yet the Scottish-born coach was unable to steer the club he won two MLS Cups with as a coach back into the playoffs.
In need of some inspiration, LA Galaxy turned to former player Greg Vanney at the beginning of the season and he has fared relatively well in only his second job as a professional manager.
However, Vanney's side failed to beat Houston in their first meeting this season, during a tetchy 1-1 draw at Dignity Health Sports Park earlier this year.
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In fact, LA Galaxy's recent record against Houston prior to Vanney's appointment has failed to excite, with the Californian side winless in their previous four head to heads with the Dynamo.
Extending their unbeaten run against LA Galaxy will be the first task for Tab Ramos's side, who enter the fixture in the knowledge their season is all but over.
A torrid run of form between May and September saw Houston go 15 matches without a win, whilst crushing their playoff hopes in the process.
Ramos's men have been able to turn their fortunes around in recent weeks, winning three of their previous seven matches, yet the Dynamo look set for their joint-lowest finish in MLS history.
Ending the previous campaign in 12th, Houston suffered their worst finish as an MLS club last season and any more dropped points between now and the end of the year will see them slump to that same position this time around.
Triumph over an MLS Cup-chasing LA Galaxy would ease the pressure on Ramos, after what has been yet another season to forget in charge of the Dynamo.
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Team News
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A fairly tricky run of fixtures await LA Galaxy after their trip to Texas, but the good news for Vanney is he should have the majority of his players to choose from.
Jorge Villafana had started each of the Galaxy's 18 league matches this season, before picking up an injury in mid-August, and the 32-year-old will once again be missing this week.
Another man who has suffered from injuries this season, Javier Hernandez missed a large chunk of the season with a calf problem, yet the former Manchester United man has been in the goals recently, including the opener last time out against the Portland Timbers.
Houston also enjoyed a statement victory in their last match, toppling Western Conference leaders Seattle Sounders, with goals from Maximiliano Urruti and Darwin Quintero securing the three points.
Expect the attacking duo to once again start on Thursday, with former Sparta Prague and St Pauli striker Fafa Picault likely to join the pair.
Should Houston make it back-to-back wins, they will have to do it without Adam Lundqvist (abdominal) and Nico Lemoine (groin), who are absent through injury.
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Nelson; Hadebe, Valentin, Parker; Vers, Carrasquilla, Junqua, Dorsey; Quintero, Urruti, Picault
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
Bond; Hamalainen, Williams, DePuy, Araujo; Raveloson, dos Santos; Cabral, Vazquez, Grandsir; Hernandez
We say: Houston Dynamo 1-2 Los Angeles Galaxy
The target for LA Galaxy in their remaining fixtures is purely focused on reaching the playoffs and hoping they can spring a surprise from thereon in.
Their trip to face Houston represents one of the more winnable fixtures for them between now and the end of the season, but it will likely be tight given the pair's head-to-head record.
Amos Murphy
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 Houston Dynamo win with a probability of 51.86%. A win for Los Angeles Galaxy had a probability of 24.54% and a draw had a probability of 23.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Houston Dynamo win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.86%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.71%) and 2-0 (8.61%). The likeliest Los Angeles Galaxy win was 0-1 (6.37%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.12%). The actual scoreline of 0-3 was predicted with a 1.3% likelihood.
