St Louis City will be looking to record their third-straight home victory when they welcome Houston Dynamo to CityPark on Saturday evening in MLS.
The hosts are flying high in the Western Conference after a pair of wins, while Houston will be hoping to respond after an embarrassing result against Vancouver Whitecaps in midweek.
Match preview
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St Louis recorded back-to-back home maximums in the space of eight days to round off a mixed May for the club, with goals from Eduard Lowen, Miguel Perez and an own goal from Tristan Blackmon securing a 3-1 win over Vancouver last weekend.
Bradley Carnell's men have now won five of their opening seven home matches in MLS - their Missouri base is certainly proving to be an intimidating place to play for visitors.
The club who are still debating a suitable nickname following their creation in 2019 have wasted no time in collecting points during their first-ever campaign, with Carnell's charges sitting second in the Western Conference, only a point behind first-placed Seattle Sounders.
St Louis have been one of the sharpest shooters in MLS so far this term, netting 29 times in just 13 matches - only Atlanta United have scored more in the entirety of the league.
The team's most recognisable player is arguably Roman Burki, with the former Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper managing three clean sheets so far, conceding only 14 goals.
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Houston's inconsistency in the opening months reared its ugly head on Wednesday night when they were hammered 6-2 at BC Place against Vancouver, despite going ahead courtesy of goals from Corey Baird and Amine Bassi.
It was the first time the Dynamo have conceded six goals in a match since the 6-0 defeat at Philadelphia Union back in July 2022 - that loss was part of a four-game losing streak in the middle of last term.
Ben Olsen's side are hanging onto a playoff spot in the Western Conference as we head into this weekend's round of fixtures, sitting in ninth place with a two-point buffer over Portland Timbers.
The aforementioned Bassi has been receiving the plaudits so far this season, but it is only fair to also recognise the contribution of Mexican Hector Herrera, with the 33-year-old veteran providing three goals and two assists from a defensive-midfield position.
Dynamo have struggled enormously away from home so far this term - Olsen's men have failed to win any of their seven MLS outings, collecting just two points in the process.
Team News
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St Louis are preparing to be without their leading scorer on Saturday evening, with Brazilian Joao Klauss sidelined for a couple of weeks due to a muscle injury suffered in early May.
Left midfielder Jared Stroud will miss this weekend's clash after picking up a suspension-inducing yellow card during the victory over Vancouver in Missouri last time out.
Swedish duo Joakim Nilsson and Rasmus Alm are both sidelined with knee and abdominal issues respectively - the former is yet to play a match for the club since moving from German outfit Arminia Bielefeld in June of last year.
Houston boss Olsen is expected to make changes to the side who were dismantled by Vancouver in the week, although he will not be able to bring Nelson Quinones into the starting XI after the Colombian was sent off six minutes after coming off the bench last time out.
Tate Schmitt has been a huge miss on the left side of the Dynamo defence since he suffered a season-ending cruciate ligament injury in April - former Atletico MG man Micael will continue to deputise in the 26-year-old's absence.
St Louis City possible starting lineup:
Burki; Nerwinski, Bartlett, Parker, Hiebert; Blom, Lowen, Ostrak, Vassilev, Pompeu; Gioacchini
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Clark; Escobar, Steres, Bartlow, Micael; Carrasquilla, Caicedo, Herrera; Bassi, Ulfarsson, Baird
We say: St Louis City 3-1 Houston Dynamo
St Louis City have found some convincing form at CityPark in recent weeks and will be confident of continuing their winning run on home soil against a Houston side who come into this game wounded.
Dynamo face another tough away match as they look to respond after their battering in Canada on Wednesday - we cannot envisage Olsen's men earning anything from their trip to Missouri this weekend.
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Carter White
