Sports Mole previews Thursday’s Major League Soccer clash between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Dallas, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
In the first match of their difficult four-day stay in Los Angeles, FC Dallas should assume Los Angeles Galaxy Thursday followed by a match against Los Angeles FC on Sunday.
The visitors are 12th in the Western Conference after 13 matches, while the hosts are flying high in third with 25 points from 15 MLS outings.
Match Preview
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After recording back-to-back finishes in the MLS Cup playoff positions, Dallas will be far from happy with the start to their season which currently has them in 12th place.
Dallas started the season with a 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes, but a dreadful run saw them go on to zero wins in seven, five of which were defeats.
An eventual 2-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo in the first leg of the Texas derby appears to have been won. Nico EstévezThe men are back on track, losing just one of their last seven games and winning four in that span.
Despite the improved results, Estevez will be disappointed with his draw against Western Conference leaders Real Salt Lake in his last outing, as his team squandered a three-goal lead to ultimately draw 3 -3 after an equalizer in the 98th minute for the Claret and Cobalts. .
Although the end result would have been frustrating for the Burn, they can take a lot of confidence into the next match against third-placed LA Galaxy after showing they can take on the leaders.
Dallas has been the dominant team in this matchup in recent seasons, going undefeated in the last six meetings with five wins in that span, most recently losing to the Galaxy in July 2021.
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The hosts have, however, been much better this campaign compared to previous years, currently sitting third in the conference with 25 points from their opening 15 matches.
LA Galaxy are one of the most successful teams in MLS history with a record five MLS Cups, but they have failed to live up to those high expectations in recent seasons, missing the playoffs in the MLS Cup in five of the last seven years after only one failure. qualifying three times in the previous 20 years.
The last campaign was their worst since they won the MLS Wooden Spoon in 2017 after finishing at the bottom of the standings as they finished the season in 26th place and second from bottom in the Western Conference.
Six wins from their first 15 outings this year is just two fewer than they have managed throughout 2023, already putting them just 11 points shy of what they have have accumulated in 19 additional games.
Greg Vanney‘s men ended a worrying five-match winless run by beating Houston 2-1 in their last outing, and they will look to follow that up with three more points here.
Los Angeles Galaxy Major League Soccer form:
Dallas Major League Soccer form:
Team News
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If there are no further injury-related setbacks, the hosts will enter this match with just a solitary player unavailable.
Joseph Paintsilwho excelled in his first campaign at the Galaxy with four goals and four assists in 13 matches, will be out for the third consecutive game after suffering a hamstring injury that will keep him out until next month.
The visitors, on the other hand, will not be able to call upon the services of five players for this one.
Alan Velasco And Geovane Jesus are both set to remain on the treatment table due to cruciate ligament injuries, while last season’s top scorer Jesus Ferreira is also injured.
Amet Korça And Paxton Pomykal will also be unavailable for this one due to injury concerns.
Possible Los Angeles Galaxy starting lineup:
McCarthy; Yamane, Yoshida, Cáceres, Aude; Delgado, Brugman, Puig; Pec, Joveljic, Fagundez
Possible starting lineup for Dallas:
Paes; Ibeagha, Tafari, Junqua; Twumasi, Fraser, Illarramendi, Farfan; Arriola, Delgado; Moussa
We say: Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 Dallas
Dallas may have enjoyed this matchup in recent seasons, remaining undefeated with five wins in the last six, but the LA Galaxy’s start to the campaign has them as favorites heading into this one, and we expect the hosts to emerge triumphant here.
For data analysis of most likely outcomes, scores and more for this match, please click here.
