Two teams in the bottom half of the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference will meet on Sunday when Inter Miami welcome DC United to the DRV PNK Stadium.
The hosts got back to winning ways in the U.S. Open Cup in midweek, meanwhile, the visitors ended up suffering a 3-0 loss as they head into this match.
Match preview
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Inter Miami have had a difficult start to their MLS campaign, which is why they are currently bottom of the Eastern Division following their first 10 games.
Only one team in the league has conceded more goals than them, and Phil Neville's team have managed to win just three games in that period.
Despite the difficulties, Inter Miami were able to progress in the U.S. Open Cup in midweek, defeating Tormenta 3-1 despite Robbie Robinson being sent off.
Robinson did manage to get himself on the scoresheet in that game though, while Ariel Lassiter also scored a brace to wrap up the result.
Neville's team have been stronger at home than they have on the road this season, losing only two of their five encounters, which is something they shall be pushing to continue at the weekend.
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On the other hand, DC United have only managed a single away victory this season in the MLS, which is form they will want to change this weekend.
They do not head into this game with momentum either, because Chad Aston's men were knocked out of U.S. Open Cup in their previous outing after being beaten 3-0.
It was a convincing victory for New York Red Bulls, with goals from Luquinhas, John Tolkin and Zachary Ryan wrapping up the match.
That was the third time in their previous six outings where DC United have conceded a trio of goals in a game, with the defensive side of their performances being an issue for them.
A defeat on Sunday would allow Inter Miami to overtake them, and depending on other results could sink the Black And Red to the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
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Team News
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Inter Miami were able to welcome back Gonzalo Higuain in their most recent match, and the experienced forward will once again be an option on Sunday, adding to their attack.
Joevin Jones also started for the first time this season in the cup victory, and that will likely lead to him being in consideration for a place in the team.
The visitors have a host of injuries that they are dealing with right now, as Adrien Perez is out of action due to a foot problem, while Chris Odoi-Atsem has an ankle sprain.
Moses Nyeman, Bill Hamid and Andy Najar are all dealing with thigh issues, but Nigel Robertha could be set to make a return following his absence due to a head injury.
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
Callender; Yedlin, Quinteros, McVey, Jones; Taylor, Adams, Vassilev; Lassiter, Higuain, Rodriguez
DC United possible starting lineup:
Romo; Hope-Gund, Pines, Vazquez; Yow, Durkin, Skundrich, Guediri; Hopkins, Smith; Liadi
We say: Inter Miami 1-1 DC United
Both of these teams have struggled at the start of this MLS campaign, and neither head into the game with much confidence in terms of picking up victories.
Because of that, it would not be a surprise to see them battle it out to a draw, even though sharing the points does not help either of them in terms of the league.
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 Inter Miami win with a probability of 38.7%. A win for DC United had a probability of 35.49% and a draw had a probability of 25.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Inter Miami win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.3%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.48%) and 2-0 (6.44%). The likeliest DC United win was 0-1 (8.84%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.23%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 5.6% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a draw in this match.
