In the MLS on Wednesday, Minnesota United will welcome Philadelphia Union to Allianz Field, with the hosts looking to retain the playoff place they currently occupy.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia enter the matchday in third position in the Eastern Conference, having accumulated 46 points this season.
Match preview
© Reuters
Minnesota head into the game in the seventh and final playoff position in the Western Conference, and they will want a win to keep their place in the top seven.
Wednesday's contest is even more crucial given the fact that the two fixtures for Minnesota after the Philadelphia clash are against Los Angeles FC and Vancouver Whitecaps - the two teams below them in the table.
The hosts have renewed belief after ending a three-game winless run at the weekend, when they won 1-0 away to Austin FC, thanks to a goal from Franco Fragapane.
Adrian Heath's side will aim to make the most of home advantage on Wednesday, and their defensive record at home has been impressive, with only 10 goals conceded at Allianz Field.
If they are to pick up the three points then they will need to find their goalscoring touch, having only scored 32 goals in their 29 games.
© Reuters
Philadelphia are looking in a secure position in the playoffs - with five games to play they are six points clear of New York City FC in eighth place.
A win on Wednesday would cement their playoff position, with Philadelphia looking to win their first-ever MLS Cup.
Jim Curtin's side are ending the regular season in fine form, entering Wednesday's encounter unbeaten in their last six matches, with four victories in that period.
In their last outing, Philadelphia looked to be heading for a win against CF Montreal, when an own goal from James Pantemis and a Kai Wagner effort gave the away side a 2-1 lead, but Ibrahim Sunusi scored for the Canadian side in the fifth minute of stoppage time to steal a point.
A large part of Philadelphia's success this season has been down to a solid defence that has only conceded 29 goals, with 10 of their games resulting in clean sheets.
- W
- W
- L
- D
- L
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Minnesota saw Romain Metanire and Robin Lod return to the starting lineup at the weekend, after returning from international duty, and the duo will keep their places for Wednesday.
Fragapane scored his third goal of the season against Austin, and the 28-year-old will keep his place in the starting lineup.
Adrien Hunou will lead the line, with the forward looking to add to the five goals he has scored for Minnesota this term.
Philadelphia are likely to be without Corey Burke and Ilsinho, who are struggling with injuries.
Curtin could bring Daniel Gazdag into the starting lineup, which could mean Quinn Sullivan drops to the bench.
Philadelphia's top scorer this season, Kacper Przybylko will be a threat for the away side, as he looks to add to the 10 goals he has scored this term.
Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
Miller; Metanire, Boxall, Dibassy, Gasper; Dotson, Alonso, Reynoso; Lod, Fragapane, Hunou
Philadelphia Union possible starting lineup:
Freese; Mbaizo, Glesnes, Elliott, Wagner; Bedoya, Flach, Monteiro; Aaronson, Przybylko, Gazdag
We say: Minnesota United 1-1 Philadelphia Union
Minnesota will be looking for a win that would ensure they retain their playoff place, but we think they will have to be content with a point, when they face a Philadelphia side in impressive form.
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 Minnesota United win with a probability of 51.77%. A draw had a probability of 24.7% and a win for Philadelphia Union had a probability of 23.53%.
The most likely scoreline for a Minnesota United win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.59%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.58%) and 2-0 (9.45%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.74%), while for a Philadelphia Union win it was 0-1 (7.21%). The actual scoreline of 3-2 was predicted with a 2.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Minnesota United would win this match.
