Seattle Sounders welcome Real Salt Lake to Lumen Field on Tuesday in the first round of the MLS playoffs, with the hosts aiming to win the MLS Cup for the third time in their history.
The visitors will be participating in the post season after finishing in seventh place following a dramatic victory on Decision Day.
Match preview
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Seattle Sounders earned a home fixture for the first round of the playoffs after finishing second in the Western Conference.
Although, they would have been disappointed not to have finished top, after starting started Decision Day in first place, but an away draw against Vancouver Whitecaps allowed Colorado Rapids to overtake them at the summit.
Missing out on top spot ensured that rather than qualifying for the quarter finals, Seattle have to negotiate a first round encounter with Real Salt Lake.
The Sounders will be hoping that they can turn around their poor recent form, with Seattle winless in their last six games.
Although, they do boast the best defensive record in the Western Conference, having only conceded 33 goals this season, which will give the hosts confidence ahead of Tuesday's encounter.
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Real Salt Lake have momentum in their favour after clinching a playoff place in the most dramatic of circumstances.
They entered the final round of fixtures in ninth position - two points off the playoffs - but with results going in their favour, Damir Kreilach struck in the fifth minute of stoppage time to clinch a 1-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City.
The visitors have been successful in the final third, scoring 55 goals in the regular season, although that attacking intent has led to the defence being exposed.
They conceded 56 goals in the regular season and 33 of those goals have been conceded away from home, which will be a concern for interim boss Pablo Mastroeni.
Although, they can take confidence from their last two away performances, with Real Salt Lake winning against Dallas and Sporting Kansas City.
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Team News
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Seattle will have to cope without the service of Will Bruin and Jordy Delem, who will miss the game due to injury issues.
Xavier Arreaga picked up an injury on international duty, but the hope is that the defender can start on Tuesday.
There was some positive news with Raul Ruidiaz, Joao Paulo and Jimmy Medranda all participating in full training following injury problems and the hope is that the trio can at least be included in the squad.
Real Salt Lake will have to cope with the absences of Toni Datkovic and Zack Farnsworth, who are both out with injuries.
Jonathan Menendez came into the starting lineup for the final regular season fixture, and he is expected to keep his place in the side for Tuesday.
Following his dramatic winner on Decision Day, Kreilach will be full of confidence and the forward will partner Rubio Rubin upfront.
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; Gomez, Arreaga, Tolo; A. Roldan, Atencio, Rowe, Smith; C. Roldan, Benezet, Montero
Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Herrera, Glad, Silva, Brody; Menendez, Luiz, Ruiz, Rusnak; Rubin, Kreilach
We say: Seattle Sounders 2-1 Real Salt Lake
Seattle may not be in the best form, but they have an impressive home record against Real Salt Lake, winning the last four meetings that have taken place at Lumen Field.
Real Salt Lake will be riding a crest of a wave after claiming a playoff place in sensational circumstances, but we think that they will just miss out on the quarter finals, with Seattle's quality shining through.
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 Seattle Sounders win with a probability of 59.38%. A draw had a probability of 21.3% and a win for Real Salt Lake had a probability of 19.29%.
The most likely scoreline for a Seattle Sounders win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.95%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (9.54%) and 2-0 (9.52%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.98%), while for a Real Salt Lake win it was 1-2 (5.21%).
