Philadelphia Union and Inter Miami will each be seeking their first victory of the 2021 Major League Soccer campaign when they meet at Subaru Park on Saturday evening.
The Union played out a stalemate with reigning MLS Cup holders Columbus Crew in their opening match, while Inter were beaten 3-2 by Los Angeles Galaxy.
Match preview
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Last weekend's clash between the Union and Columbus was supposed to be the pick of the gameweek one action, but neither side could find a breakthrough in the stalemate.
Both sides hit the post, while the Crews had a penalty awarded and then ruled out, in what was a largely disappointing contest for the neutral.
Still, a point against the MLS Cup holders is not the worst result for Philadelphia, who themselves enjoyed an impressive 2020 by winning the Supporters' Shield.
Jim Curtin's side have now played three times this term, having also defeated Costa Rican outfit Deportivo Saprissa 5-0 on aggregate in the CONCACAF Champions League last 16.
Getting three points on the board against Inter Miami is the next target, but the visitors will themselves be eager to get off the mark after their slender loss to the Galaxy.
Robbie Robinson gave Inter a half-time lead in Phil Neville's first game in charge, but Javier Hernandez struck twice in the second half, either side of a Gonzalo Higuain penalty.
The game looked set to finish all square at that point, but Sacha Kljestan found a winner with nine minutes remaining to deny Neville a maiden MLS victory.
Inter endured a disrupted pre-season, largely owing to coronavirus restrictions, and now face a difficult contest at Subaru Park.
The Union have won nine of their last 10 home league matches, albeit the exception being their most recent such game there, while Inter have lost four in a row on their travels.
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Team News
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Ryan Shawcross was an unused substitute against the Galaxy, with Neville opting to go with a tried-and-trusted setup.
The Englishman may make a change or two for this match, though, as Victor Ulloa, Josh Penn and Federico Higuain are all pushing for inclusion.
Kacper Przybylko scored in both legs of Philadelphia's win over Saprissa, but he fired a blank in the stalemate with Columbus.
Fellow attackers Cory Burke and Ilsinho have been nursing injuries, though neither player likely would have started this game anyway.
Sergio Santos replaced Anthony Fofana last weekend in the Union's only substitution, and the Brazilian may be considered for selection here.
Philadelphia Union possible starting lineup:
Blake; Mbaizo, Glesnes, Elliott, Wagner; Bedoya, Martinez, Flach; Monteiro; Santos, Przybylko
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Leerdam, Figal, Pirez, Jones; Matuidi, Gregore; Morgan, Pizarro, Pellegrini; Higuain
We say: Philadelphia Union 1-0 Inter Miami
The home side will be looking to build on what can be considered a positive point against the Crew in their opening match when Inter visit Subaru Park this weekend.
Neville's men were a little unfortunate to lose against the Galaxy, having twice led in that one, but we can see them losing again here.
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 Philadelphia Union win with a probability of 56.93%. A draw had a probability of 22.8% and a win for Inter Miami had a probability of 20.24%.
The most likely scoreline for a Philadelphia Union win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.97%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.99%) and 2-1 (9.87%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.84%), while for a Inter Miami win it was 0-1 (5.95%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 5.4% likelihood.
