Los Angeles Galaxy will look to break into the top two of the Major League Soccer Western Conference table on Sunday, when they take on Vancouver Whitecaps.
Galaxy bounced back from a disappointing defeat with a 3-1 win over FC Dallas last time out, while their opponents suffered a 4-0 thrashing to see them remain rooted to the foot of the Conference table.
Match preview
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After narrowly missing out on the playoffs when the regular MLS season was cut short last year, Vancouver Whitecaps will have hoped to build this season and form a sustained push for a spot in the top seven.
That is yet to come to fruition, though, with the side having sat at the foot of the Western Conference for the majority of the campaign so far.
Marc Dos Santos's men did have a relatively strong start though, defeating Portland Timbers and CF Montreal as well as drawing 2-2 with Toronto FC to sit on seven points after four games, but they have now collected just two points from the eight matches since.
Five straight defeats saw the Village quickly drop down the table, as they suffered losses at the hands of Minnesota United, Sporting Kansas City, Houston Dynamo, Real Salt Lake and LA Galaxy, with late drama costing them a point against Sunday's opponents.
In that previous meeting between these sides, Galaxy looked set to win 1-0 thanks to Javier Hernandez's goal, but a Janio Bikel equaliser in the 92nd minute looked to have broken their losing run, only for Efrain Alvarez to immediately restore their opponents' lead, with the Los Angeles outfit coming away with all three points.
The run did end after that, though, as they picked up a commendable point following a 2-2 draw with Conference leaders Seattle Sounders before drawing by the same scoreline against FC Dallas.
However, they suffered another setback last time out, as a Damir Kreilach brace and goals from Albert Rusnak and Anderson Julio fired Real Salt Lake to a dominant 4-0 win, and Dos Santos will be desperate for his side to bounce back from that thrashing with a positive result on Sunday.
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They take on an LA Galaxy side in a fairy strong run of form, as they made a return to winning ways last time out.
The five-time MLS champions have won three of their last four games, starting with that narrow win over Sunday's opponents thanks to Alvarez's late winner.
Greg Vanney's men then followed that up with a 3-1 win over San Jose Earthquakes, with Javier Hernandez netting a brace before a Florian Jungwirth own goal put the game out of sight.
They would not make it three straight wins though, as late goals from Johnny Russell and Khiry Shelton fired Sporting Kansas City to a 2-0 win on Galaxy's home turf, leaving them needing a reaction.
Vanney's side did bounce back immediately, defeating FC Dallas 3-1 as Rayan Raveloson, Kevin Cabral and Ethan Zubak all netted goals before Franco Jara scored a consolation goal for their opponents.
As a result, Galaxy now find themselves in a strong position in the Conference, currently sitting in third spot with the chance to go a point clear of second-placed Sporting Kansas City if they win on Sunday.
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Team News
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Vancouver Whitecaps come into the game without crucial players at both ends of the pitch, as goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau and forward Lucas Cavallini are both away on international duty with the Canadian national team.
They are not the end of the selection concerns either, with Bruno Gaspar and Tosaint Rickets both sidelined through injuries.
Thomas Hasal will again be called upon to start between the sticks in Crepeau's absence, while Brian White should continue to lead the line.
LA Galaxy could remain without key forward Javier Hernandez, who has missed the last two games after hitting 10 goals in the first 10 MLS matches of the season.
Daniel Steres and Jalen Neal will also remain out through injury, while defender Derrick Williams will continue to serve a suspension.
Their squad has also taken another major hit recently, with key midfielder Jonathan dos Santos going away on international duty, as are Efrain Alvarez and Giancarlo Gonzalez.
Ethan Zubak will lead the line with renewed confidence, having scored his first MLS goal of the season last time out in the 3-1 win over FC Dallas.
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Hasal; Brown, Godoy, Rose, Gutierrez; Bikel, Teibert, Alexandre; Caicedo, White, Dajome
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
Bond; Araujo, Raveloson, DePuy, Villafana; Lletget, Kljestan; Grandsir, Vazquez, Cabral; Zubak
We say: Vancouver Whitecaps 0-1 Los Angeles Galaxy
While this Los Angeles Galaxy side is far from full strength, they should still have just about enough to get over the line against a struggling Vancouver outfit.
Marc Dos Santos's men may struggle to cause problems for the makeshift Galaxy XI, while the Los Angeles side should create enough chances to find a winning goal, with Vancouver's confidence in a slump.
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 Los Angeles Galaxy win with a probability of 48.63%. A win for Vancouver Whitecaps had a probability of 27.31% and a draw had a probability of 24.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Los Angeles Galaxy win was 1-2 with a probability of 9.51%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (9.4%) and 0-2 (7.91%). The likeliest Vancouver Whitecaps win was 2-1 (6.79%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.3%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 6.8% likelihood.
