With only four Major League Soccer matches on the schedule this weekend, a lot of focus will be on the intriguing Western Conference clash at CityPark.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, St Louis City SC will entertain the Portland Timbers, with just three points between the teams in the bottom six.
If you’re looking for stats, trends and analysis, we’ve got you covered. This preview contains all the information you need, so let’s get started.
St Louis City managed to hold Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami to a 3-3 draw last weekend, despite conceding 69% possession and 19 shots in Florida.
Still, there is no hiding the fact that St Louis have failed to win any of their previous four matches, suffering three straight defeats before drawing with the Herons.
When you look at the bigger picture, St Louis City have managed to win just one of their last seven MLS matches, with two victories coming in their previous 13 outings.
It is also worth noting that St Louis have lost each of their last two home games, suffering a 2-0 defeat to LAFC before losing 2-1 against the Seattle Sounders.
Meanwhile, the Portland Timbers played out a 2-2 draw with the Houston Dynamo last weekend, coming from behind on two occasions.
That result extended Portland’s unbeaten streak to three games, with victories over Sporting Kansas City and Austing FC preceding the draw with Houston.
The Timbers went seven away games without a win between March and May, recording two draws and five losses before going to Austin and defeating the Verde and Black.
Having conceded 17 goals in nine away league games this year (1.9 goals per game), Portland will struggle to keep a clean sheet this weekend.
Head-to-head: These two sides faced each other twice during St Louis City’s debut Major League Soccer campaign, with both teams claiming a 2-1 away victory.
This means that St Louis and Portland’s encounters average three goals per game, so we should be treated to plenty of action this weekend.
Team news: St Louis City have reported a solitary injury problem ahead of this clash, with Czech midfielder Tomas Ostrak nursing an ankle issue.
As for the Portland Timbers, they will be without Costa Rican winger Marvin Loria (knee) and DR Congo defender Larrys Mabiala (upper body) this weekend.
If last season’s meeting between St Louis and Portland are anything to go by, we will likely see another high-scoring encounter at CityPark.
Forebet predicts that St Louis and Portland will combine for over 2.5 goals this weekend, with the Timbers snatching the victory.