Portland Timbers will welcome Sporting Kansas City to Providence Park when they clash in their MLS fixture on Sunday.
Fresh from a 3-2 triumph over Tacoma Defiance in the US Open Cup, the third-placed hosts will be looking to move up to second spot in the standings, while 12th-placed Sporting KC will be aiming to claim their fourth victory in six league matches.
Match preview
Portland Timbers saw their eight-game unbeaten run come to an end last weekend, after they were handed a 4-1 defeat by San Jose Earthquakes at the PayPal Stadium.
The Timbers found themselves trailing by three goals after 27 minutes, before Felipe Mora pulled one back in the closing stages of the first half, but hopes of a comeback were shattered after Ousseni Bouda scored the fourth for the hosts.
That result saw them miss out on the chance to extend their unbeaten run to eight matches for the first time since August 2022, and they slipped from second to third in the Western Conference standings, with 18 points after 11 matches.
Nevertheless, there is still a silver lining for Phil Neville‘s team, as they have been ferocious on the offensive end, having scored 21 goals – a tally which is the joint-third best, three fewer than San Jose Earthquakes and one shy of leaders Vancouver Whitecaps.
A win for the hosts could see them rise to second position, if results elsewhere go their way.
Sporting Kansas’ start to life in the American top division under the reign of Kerry Zavagnin has been topsy-turvy, with three wins and two losses across five games.
Last time out, the Wizards earned their third victory in five league fixtures courtesy of a 1-0 triumph over bottom side LA Galaxy.
Chances were few and far between in that encounter, but a Maya Yoshida 13th-minute own goal was enough to secure all three points, as they put up a resilient display to come away with all the points.
Nevertheless, the visitors have shown noticeable improvement in the final third, netting 11 times in their last five matches under the interim manager.
Sporting KC have not defeated the Timbers on any ground since May 2023, when they came away with a 4-1 triumph.
Team News
Goalkeeper James Pantemis will be sidelined for this fixture due to a foot injury that has left him on the sidelines since the beginning of May, paving the way for fellow Canadian Maxime Crepeau to start between the sticks.
Similarly, Jonathan Rodriguez is still recuperating from a leg injury, as is Jimer Fory, meaning the contest will come too soon for them.
Diego Chara is also not in contention to feature in this weekend’s fixture, as he is currently out with an undisclosed injury.
A hamstring issue kept Joaquin Fernandez out of their last fixture, and he is still unavailable for selection for the match.
Logan Ndenbe came off injured in their last outing after 31 minutes due to an undisclosed injury, and in his absence, Tim Leibold is expected to step up.
Meanwhile, American forward Khiry Shelton is nursing a groin injury, and he will be left out of the travelling squad.
Portland Timbers possible starting lineup:
Crepeau; Mosquera, Surman, Miller, Bravo; Ortiz, Ayala; Moreno, Da Costa, Antony; Mora
Sporting Kansas City possible starting lineup:
Pulskamp; Leibold, Voloder, Miller, Brody; Salloi, Radoja, Bartlett, Garcia, Suleymanov; Joveljic
We say: Portland Timbers 2-1 Sporting Kansas City
Despite their recent loss to San Jose Earthquakes, Portland Timbers have what it takes to get back on track after the disappointing loss, and considering the haphazard form of the visitors, Neville’s men could claim a 2-1 win.
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