It has not been the start to Major League Soccer that Charlotte FC would have wished for, with zero points on the board after three matches.
Their task as MLS newbies is about to get even more difficult, with Supporters' Shield holders New England Revolution the visitors on Saturday evening.
Match preview
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After topping not only the Eastern Conference and overall MLS table, confidence was high among the Revs faithful heading into the playoffs.
It was not to be for New England, who were knocked out in the Conference semi-finals by eventual MLS Cup winners New York City FC.
Looking to recover from disappointment last time out, the Revs had started the season in fine fashion, but two defeats in their last two matches across all competitions has left a sour taste in the mouths of New England fans.
Despite leading 2-0 against Real Salt Lake last time out, a dramatic comeback ended in the visitors stealing the three points in the 93rd minute, before the Revs crashed out of the CONCACAF Champions League on penalties against Club Universidad Nacional.
For Charlotte, Champions League matchdays must feel like a universe away right now, with the newbies focusing on getting to grips with the MLS.
Three losses in their first trio of matches has been a rude awakening for Charlotte, who have only notched up one goal in MLS so far.
Adam Armour was the man lucky enough to net Charlotte's maiden MLS goal, and the defender will be hoping to be on the winning side when his team take on the Revs during the two clubs' first-ever meeting.
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Team News
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Yet to be plagued by the dreaded injury crisis, Charlotte boast a full squad for this weekend's visit of the Revs, with Karol Swiderski expected to lead the line for the Queen City.
Former Premier League winner Christian Fuchs will make up part of a backline that is yet to keep a clean sheet, whereas Christian Makoun and Guzman Corujo are the two most likely to partner each other at centre-back.
Charlotte will be hoping exciting midfielder Alan Franco will be able to provide a spark for an attack that boasts just one goal to its name.
For the Revs, they too boast a full squad for Saturday's clash, apart from one absentee in Anton Tinnerholm, whose continued recovery from an Achilles tendon problem will keep him on the sidelines.
Jozy Altidore netted his first goal for the Revs off the bench in last weekend's defeat to Real Salt Lake, with the former Toronto man battling with Adam Buksa for a starting berth.
Goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr will be keen to end his bad form between the sticks, having shipped six goals in his last two matches across all competitions.
Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:
Kahlina; Lindsey, Corujo, Makoun, Fuchs; Bronico, Franco, Ortiz; Bender, Swiderski, Gaines
New England Revolution possible starting lineup:
Edwards; De La Garza, Farrell, Bell, Spaulding; Kaptoum, Maciel; Traustason, McNamara, Boateng; Buska
We say: Charlotte FC 0-3 New England Revolution
Two teams who could not be further apart off or on the pitch, the reigning Supporters' Shield holders will be eyeing up a comfortable win away to Charlotte this weekend.
Expect the Revs to enjoy their time against the Queen City, leaving with a comfortable victory and all three points.
Amos Murphy
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 60.56%. A draw had a probability of 21% and a win for Charlotte FC had a probability of 18.45%.
The most likely scoreline for a New England Revolution win was 1-2 with a probability of 9.95%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (9.72%) and 0-1 (9.59%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.82%), while for a Charlotte FC win it was 2-1 (5.03%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 1.7% likelihood.
