Dallasvs.Austin

The Verde and Black have failed to win any of their previous five visits to the Toyota Stadium since August 2021 and will head into the midweek clash looking to end this three-year spell.

Match preview

Dallas returned to winning ways at the weekend as they secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Los Angeles Galaxy when the sides squared off at the Toyota Stadium.

Petar Musa continued his red-hot form as he netted his eighth goal in seven games in the 28th minute to put the hosts in front before Logan Farrington doubled the lead in the 55th minute.

Prior to that, Dallas were on a run of two consecutive defeats, including a 2-1 extra-time defeat against Sporting Kansas City at the Children's Mercy Park on June 11 which saw them crash out of the US Open Cup in the quarter-finals.

With last weekend's results, Peter Luccin's men have now won all but one of their previous five home matches — with a 1-0 loss to Cincinnati being the exception — and are unbeaten in nine of their last 10, claiming seven wins and two draws since the start of April.

Dallas have picked up seven wins and five draws from their 23 MLS matches so far to collect 26 points and sit 11th in the Western Conference standings, four points and one spot behind Wednesday's visitors.

Austin, on the other hand, continue to struggle for consistency as they suffered a somewhat disappointing 1-0 defeat against Seattle at the Q2 Stadium on Sunday morning.

In a game where Brendan Hines-Ike received his marching orders, Jordan Morris grabbed the headlines as he netted the only goal of the game from close range in the 63rd minute to hand the Sounders all three points.

Since picking up consecutive victories against Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City in May, Austin have managed just one win in eight matches, losing five and claiming two draws while conceding 15 goals in that time.

Next up for Josh Wolff's men is the challenge of taking on Dallas at the Toyota Stadium, where they have failed to win any of their last four visits, losing four and claiming one draw since August 2021.

Dallas Major League Soccer form:

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Austin FC Major League Soccer form:

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Team News

Dallas will head into the midweek clash with a lengthy injury list as the attacking trio of Alan Velasco (ACL), Jesus Ferreira (hip) and Paxton Pomykal (knee) all continue their spells on the sidelines.

Liam Fraser has been out of action since picking up a hip injury against Cincinnati on June 30 and the Canadian midfielder will play no part in Saturday's game.

They are joined on the club's injury table by Geovane Jesus and Brazilian defender Patrickson Delgado, who are currently recuperating from knee and ACL injuries respectively.

Musa has been on song for Dallas this season and we expect the Croatian striker, who has 12 goals and two assists in 22 league appearances so far, to spearhead the attack once again.

Austin will take to the pitch without 29-year-old defender Brendan Hines-Ike, who is currently suspended after picking up a red card against Seattle Sounders at the weekend.

In his absence, 26-year-old Leo Vaisanen should come into the fold, forming the back four with Jon Gallagher, Guillermo Biro and Costa Rican defender Julio Cascante.

Barring any late fitness issues, the Verde and Black head into the midweek clash with a clean bill of health, giving Wolff the luxury of a full strength squad at his disposal.

Dallas possible starting lineup:

Paes; Ibeagha, Tafari, Junqua; Twumasi, Kamungo, Ntsabeleng, Illarramendi; Lletget, Farrington; Musa

Austin FC possible starting lineup:

Stuver; Gallagher, Cascante, Vaisanen, Biro; Pereira, Ring; Wolff, Driussi, Obrian; Zardes

We say: Dallas 2-1 Austin FC

Dallas have put together a fine run of results at home in recent weeks and will be backing themselves to pick up where they left off against LA Galaxy. Austin have struggled for results on their travels, and given their record at the Toyota Stadium, we are tipping the hosts to come out on top once again.

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