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Verdict: Home winBest odds: 5/4Bookmaker: Austin FC are set to welcome New York Red Bulls to the Q2 Stadium on Sunday evening (early Monday morning in Europe), for what should be a highly Matt Belisle Jersey interesting clash between two teams positioned rather well in the two MLS conferences. It will also be the first time ever that the two teams have met in the competition.Austin FCAustin have all but secured a place in the Final Series play-offs, though theyll still be looking to get around them by finishing top of the Western Conference. At the moment, they are second to Los Angeles FC, with a four-point gap standing between them. They are, however, 12 points ahead of Seattle Sounders in eighth place, the first to put its occupant out of the play-offs, and with five other teams (Minnesota United, Real Salt Lake, FC Dallas, Larry Doby Jersey Nashville SC and Portland Timbers) squeezed in between, its practically impo sible for Austin to mi s out.Josh Wolffs team have managed to maintain their excellent position in the table by displaying fine form recently, winning four and drawing two of their last six matches. They drew 2-2 at home against Dallas, beat Charlotte FC away by 0-1, won 2-3 away to Colorado Rapids, smashed Atlanta United away by 0-3, beat Houston Dynamo at home by 3-1, and eventually played another draw against Dallas, this time 1-1 away.Team NewsPlayers which Wolff probably wont be able to call upon for this clash are midfielder Jhojan Valencia who is recovering from a knee injury, and left-back Hector Jimenez who is struggling to overcome a groin i sue.Diego Fagundez, who has eight a sists so far this season, is set to pull the strings from the middle of the park again, with winger Sebastian Driu si representing the main goal threat from the left attacking flank along with Maximiliano Urruti upfront.New York Red BullsNew York Red Bulls arent as firm in their position for the Final Series play-offs as Austin are, but their chances arent looking bad either. At the moment, they are in Omar Vizquel Jersey fourth place with 33 points, seven more than Charlotte FC in eighth, with Orlando City (30 points), Columbus Crew (30), and FC Cincinnati (28) sitting in between. On the other hand, their chances of finishing top of the pack are extremely slim with Philadelphia Union leading it on 42 points, New York City second on 41, and CF Montreal third on 35.The form of the Red Bulls hasnt exactly been bad recently, though they did lose twice in their last six league outings, drawing once and winning three times. They beat Toronto at home by 2-0, lost away to LA FC by the same scoreline, beat Atlanta United 2-1 at home, beat Sporting KC away by 0-1, drew 1-1 away to Cincinatti, and lost Carlos Carrasco Jersey 0-1 at home to city rivals New York City.In the meantime, they managed to beat their city rivals comprehensively (3-0) in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup and are now set to take on Orlando City in the semis on July 28th.Team NewsDefender Lucas Monzon left the club earlier this week as his loan spell from Uruguayan side Danubio FC came to an end. Goalkeeper AJ Marucci is unlikely to be available due to a shoulder problem, while a foot injury continues to hamper attacking midfielder Wikelman Carmona.Winger Omir Fernandez could be deployed as a false nine again, which would leave striker Patryk Klimala on the bench, as head coach Gerhard Struber seeks to deploy a high-pre sing style of play. Lewis Morgan should, on the other hand, have no problems starting on the right attacking flank as he leads the team with nine goals this season.ConclusionIn this game, much will depend on whether the visitors pre s is effective or not. Should they frequently fail to win po se sion high up, they Tyler Clippard Jersey will seek to defend deep which would leave a large amount of po se sion and space for creation for Austin.Verdict: Home winBest odds: 5/4Bookmaker: |
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發表於 2023-3-10 14:09:03
