Forge FC and Valour FC will both be looking to enhance their playoff prospects when they go head-to-head in the Canadian Premier League on Saturday.
The two sides are separated by three points in the standings, with fourth-place Forge leading fifth-place Valour. However, Forge have a game in hand on Valour.
With second-place Atletico Ottawa and third-place Pacific three points ahead of Forge, it’s still all to play for in the race for a top-four finish.
Only first-place Cavalry have picked up more wins than Forge’s seven this season. Better still, only the top two sides have suffered fewer defeats.
Forge head into Saturday’s clash on the back of two straight victories, having beaten York United 2-0 before thrashing FC Edmonton 5-1.
Woobens Pacius netted a hat-trick in the rout of Edmonton, meaning the 21-year-old forward has scored seven goals in 13 CPL outings this year.
Thanks to Pacius’ treble, Forge are now the top scorers in the league – having bagged 28 goals in 13 games (2.15 goals per game).
As for Valour, they come into this clash on a four-game unbeaten streak. After securing three straight wins, they draw 1-1 with Atletico last time out.
When you look at the bigger picture, Valour have lost just one of their previous six outings – securing three wins and two draws in the process.
It is worth pointing out that Valour have found the back of the net in each of their past ten away games in the CPL, meaning they are likely to score this weekend.
Averaging 2.13 goals per game in their away games this season, Valour will be confident of getting something from Saturday’s showdown.
Head-to-head: Valour have won each of their last four CPL matches against Forge, including a 1-0 victory at the end of last month.
Seven of the past 11 meetings between Forge and Valour have dished up over 2.5 goals, so we should see plenty of action this time around.
Team news: In addition to Pacius, Forge can rely on Tristan Borges. The loanee has already netted five CPL goals and will be looking to enhance his tally this weekend.
Valour will be without defensive midfielder Raphael Ohin on Saturday as he continues to recover from a cruciate ligament injury.
Given the high-scoring history of this fixture, we should see plenty of goals this weekend. However, both sides could struggle to claim all three points.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Forge and Valour will play out a high-scoring draw – with both teams netting over 1.5 goals.