The New England Revolution return home looking to snap a two-match winless run when they host the Columbus Crew at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
The Revs conceded a late goal to Philadelphia on Wednesday in a 1-1 draw, while Columbus are coming off their first defeat of the season, 2-0 to Toronto FC.
Match preview
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Following a 2-0 defeat to Nashville, the Revolution bounced back nicely against a tough Philadelphia side on Wednesday.
However, Bruce Arena would have hoped to come away with three points after his team took the lead five minutes from the end.
They will hope to maintain their 100% record at Gillette Stadium this season, where they have won twice already in 2021, while also picking up their only clean sheet so far in a 1-0 win over DC United.
New England did not face Columbus at all in 2020, and they hope that break can change their luck against the defending MLS Cup champions, who have not conceded a goal to the Revs in their previous three regular-season encounters.
Despite going winless on their recent two-game road trip, there were still some positive signs that suggest New England are a contender to win the title this season.
Teal Bunbury notched his first goal of the season against the Union, the 43rd of his career for New England, moving him past Steve Ralston and into fourth on the club's all-time goals scored list.
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A name change did not change the fortunes of the defending MLS Cup champions on Wednesday away from home, as they have failed to score in all three of their road games so far.
Columbus, who will soon be known as Columbus SC, looked sluggish and out of sorts against an ageing Toronto side that had gone winless up to that point.
While that was only their first defeat of this new season, manager Caleb Porter has to be concerned with the lack of offence his side have generated.
Columbus have now gone goalless in three matches this year, which is a little problematic given they were shut out in only three regular-season encounters throughout the whole of 2020.
They have done an excellent job of shutting down New England at Gillette Stadium, winning in three of their last four visits there and maintaining a clean sheet in each victory.
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Team News
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Luis Caicedo has a leg injury and is unlikely to return to the Revs lineup for this one, while Tommy McNamara started in midfield on Wednesday for only the second time this season.
Carles Gil continues to impress in midfield, leading the league in key passes with 21, while defender Jon Bell had a strong debut, with a team-high of 11 possessions gained and five clearances.
Kevin Molino will not be available for Columbus due to a muscle injury, while Marlon Hairston remains hampered by knee issues.
Aidan Morris still has a knee injury, and Liam Fraser could miss again with an ankle injury.
New England Revolution possible starting lineup:
Turner; Jones, Bell, Farrell, Bye; Polster, Maciel; Traustason, Gil, Buchanan; Bunbury
Columbus Crew possible starting lineup:
Room; Francis, Wormgoor, Jonathan, Afful; Nagbe, Parente; Matan, Zelarayan, Espinoza; Wright-Phillips
We say: New England Revolution 2-1 Columbus Crew
The Revs have not always been stellar this season, but they are finding ways to get results, which will be important as the regular season continues.
Columbus are still trying to find their game and have been unusually inconsistent in the early portion of this campaign.
Top tip
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 New England Revolution win with a probability of 56.05%. A draw had a probability of 23.3% and a win for Columbus Crew had a probability of 20.67%.
The most likely scoreline for a New England Revolution win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.3%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.02%) and 2-1 (9.82%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.07%), while for a Columbus Crew win it was 0-1 (6.24%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with an 11.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for New England Revolution in this match.
