It is all or nothing for New York Red Bulls in their quest for a place in the playoffs as they journey to Geodis Park to face Nashville SC in the final game of the 2023 MLS campaign on Saturday.
The Red Bulls, who are currently 10th in the Western Conference standings, head into the weekend in a heated five-way battle for the playoff wildcard tickets.
Match preview
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Nashville returned to winning ways last weekend when they scraped a 3-2 victory over a resolute New England Revolution side after overcoming a second-half comeback scare at Geodis Park.
Two goals from Sam Surridge and Dax McCarty's 19th-minute effort put the Boys In Gold in a commanding lead heading into the second half before Tomas Chancalay struck twice in a 22-minute spell to reduce the deficit.
Prior to that, Nashville were on a four-match winless run in the league and had gone four straight home matches without a win across all competitions, claiming two draws and losing twice, including a penalty-shootout loss to Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup final on August 20.
Despite their stuttering late-season form, Gary Smith's men have comfortably secured their spot in the playoffs as they sit seventh in the Eastern Conference table, eight points above CF Montreal just outside the automatic qualification places.
While Nashville head into the weekend looking to pick up successive league wins for the first time since June and wrap up the regular season on a high, they face an opposing side who are unbeaten in each of their four previous encounters, claiming two wins and two draws since June 2021.
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New York Red Bulls, on the other hand, kept their hopes of securing post-season football alive last time out as they cruised to a 3-0 victory over Toronto FC just before the international break.
In a one-sided affair at the Red Bull Arena, Tom Barlow broke the deadlock right on the stroke of half time to put the hosts in front before Luquinhas grabbed a second-half brace to make sure of the result.
New York Red Bulls have now won three of their last four matches — with a 1-0 home loss against Chicago Fire on October 1 being the exception — having managed as many victories in the 13 matches preceding this run.
For Troy Lesesne's men, the goal is a top-nine finish in the Eastern Conference standings as they currently occupy 10th place, level on 40 points with DC United, Chicago Fire, Charlotte FC and one point behind eighth-placed CF Montreal.
Having struggled for consistency this season, New York Red Bulls have hit their stride down the stretch of the season and will be looking to pick up a third consecutive away victory, having edged out DC United and FC Cincinnati in their last two games on the road.
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Surridge was a standout performer last time out and the Englishman, who completed a summer move from Nottingham Forest, is in line to lead the Nashville attack once again.
He should form their two-man frontline in Smith's preferred 4-4-2 formation with German striker Hany Mukhtar, who has 15 goals and nine assists in 33 league appearances this season.
On the injury front, the Boys In Gold remain without former LA Galaxy defender Nick DePuy, who is yet to feature this year as he continues his spell on the sidelines through an Achilles tendon injury.
Canadian midfielder Jacob Shaffelburg was forced off with a game-ending injury in the 41st minute last Sunday and is a major doubt for Nashville, meaning that 28-year-old Alex Muyl could return to the XI this weekend.
As for New York Red Bulls, Lesesne will be unable to call upon the services of Scottish midfielder Lewis Morgan, who has been out of action since picking up a hip injury back in August.
Serge Ngoma is currently recuperating from a hamstring problem while Belgian forward Dante Vanzeir is set to sit out his fourth consecutive game after coming off injured against Austin FC back in September.
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Moore, Zimmerman, Maher, Lovitz; Leal, Godoy, McCarty, Muyl; Mukhtar, Surridge
New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:
Coronel; Duncan, Ndam, Nealis, Tolkin; Edelman, Amaya; Fernandez, Barlow, Manoel; Luquinhas
We say: Nashville SC 1-3 New York Red Bulls
Given the stakes of Saturday's game, we expect New York Red Bulls to throw the kitchen sink in search of all three points at Geodis Park. The Red Bulls have enjoyed the better of this fixture and given their current run of form, we fancy them to extend their dominance over Nashville.
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