Top will host bottom in the MLS Western Conference on Saturday evening, with St Louis City looking to record their 11th league victory of the campaign against struggling Colorado Rapids.
St Louis are level on points with second-placed Los Angeles FC in the table, while Colorado Rapids have only picked up 14 points from 19 games this term to sit at the bottom of the division.
Match preview
© Reuters
St Louis have won 10, drawn two and lost seven of their 19 league games this season to collect 32 points, which has left them at the top of the division, just ahead of the reigning champions Los Angeles FC.
Bradley Carnell's side are competing in their first-ever MLS campaign, having only been formed in late 2019, which makes their start to the season even more remarkable.
The home side will enter this contest off the back of a 2-1 victory over San Jose Earthquakes, with Samuel Adeniran scoring the winner from the penalty spot in the 58th minute of the contest.
St Louis won three straight league games between May 21 and June 4 before losing three of their next four, picking up just one point in the process, but their victory over San Jose last time out provided a huge boost at a vital stage of the campaign.
Carnell's team lead the division despite suffering seven losses from 19 matches, but they have played a game more than Los Angeles in second and are only five points ahead of sixth-placed Real Salt Lake.
© Reuters
Colorado, meanwhile, will bring a nine-game winless run into this contest, with their last victory in the MLS proving to be a 3-1 success at Los Angeles Galaxy at the start of May.
Rapids suffered a 2-0 defeat to Orlando City in their last away fixture before drawing 0-0 with LA Galaxy last time out, with the result leaving them bottom of the Western Conference.
There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a tough start to the campaign for Colorado, who have only picked up two wins from their 19 league games, collecting just 14 times in the process.
Robin Fraser's side have lost each of their last three league games on their travels, conceding nine times in the process, which will not fill their fans with too much confidence heading into this contest.
The two teams played out a 1-1 draw when they locked horns in the reverse match towards the end of April, with Michael Barrios netting a last-gap leveller for Colorado after Rasmus Alm had made the breakthrough.
Team News
© Reuters
St Louis will be without the services of Jon Bell, Eduard Lowen, Joao Klauss and Joakim Nilsson for this weekend's contest with Colorado.
The home side have no fresh injury concerns, though, so it would not be a surprise to see the same XI that took to the field for the first whistle against San Jose last time out.
Adeniran's brace in the team's last match should see the 24-year-old retain his spot in the final third of the field, while Alm should also keep his spot in the starting side.
Colorado, meanwhile, will be missing Alex Gersbach, Abraham Rodriguez and Jack Price through injury.
Head coach Fraser will have been pleased with many aspects of his team's performance against LA Galaxy last time out, so it could be a case of same again in terms of team selection.
Kevin Cabral is again expected to get the nod in the final third of the field, while Jonathan Lewis and Sam Nicholson should also retain their starting roles for the side at the bottom of the division.
St Louis City possible starting lineup:
Burki; Watts, Yaro, Parker, Hiebert; Perez, Blom, Stroud, Jackson; Alm, Adeniran
Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Yarbrough; Rosenberry, Maxso, Wilson, Beitashour; Ronan, Bassett, Priso; Nicholson, Cabral, Lewis
We say: St Louis City 1-0 Colorado Rapids
This match might not be as straightforward as it appears on paper, with Colorado better than what they have shown for much of the season. St Louis' recent form has also not exactly been terrific, but we are backing the team at the top of the division to secure a vital win on Saturday.
How to watch
You can watch St Louis City vs. Colorado Rapids and every MLS match this season live on Apple TV. Click here for more details on how to subscribe.For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
