Looking to end their eight-game winless streak in the MLS, Atlanta United travel to the TQL Stadium to take on FC Cincinnati on Wednesday.
The hosts have failed to pick up a win in their last three outings and will aim to end this run and return to winning ways.
FC Cincinnati’s struggles continued last weekend when they fell to a 5-4 defeat against CF Montreal.
Egyptian midfielder Ahmed Hamdi came off the bench to put on a show as he scored a brace in the final 33 minutes of the game to help Montreal claim the win from two goals down.
Cincinnati are winless in their last three games, picking up two draws and winning once. With 12 points from 12 games, Jaap Stam’s men are currently 11th in the Eastern Conference, one point and one place below Wednesday’s visitors.
Meanwhile, Atlanta United failed to end their dire run of results as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to New England Revolution.
Argentine forward Gustavo Bou scored the only goal of the game in the 18th minute to hand the Revs their eighth win of the season.
Atlanta United have now failed to taste victory in their last eight outings, picking up five draws and losing on three occasions.
Their last win came back on 16 May, when Marcelino Moreno scored a last gasp 94th-minute goal to hand them a 1-0 win over CF Montreal.
The poor run saw Gabriel Heinze lose his role as head coach after the club revealed they had parted ways with the Argentine after eight months at the helm.
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FC Cincinnati vs Atlanta United Head-To-Head
This will be the sixth meeting between the two sides. Atlanta United head into the game as the dominant team in the previous five encounters, claiming three wins.
Cincinnati have picked up one win, while the spoils have been shared once.
FC Cincinnati Form Guide: W-W-D-D-L
Atlanta United Form Guide: L-D-L-D-L
FC Cincinnati vs Atlanta United Team News
FC Cincinnati
The hosts will have to cope without the services of Maikel van der Werff and Zico Bailey, who have been ruled out of the game due to injuries. Ronald Matarrita and Allan Cruz are on international duty at the ongoing Gold Cup.
Injured: Maikel van der Werff, Zico Bailey
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Ronald Matarrita, Allan Cruz
Atlanta United
Atlanta United will take to the pitch without several key players. Matheus Rossetto, Jurgen Damm, Franco Ibarra and Emerson Hyndman have all been ruled out through injuries. George Bello, Bradley Guzan and Miles Robinson are all on international duty with the US national team.
Injured: Matheus Rossetto, Jurgen Damm, Franco Ibarra, Emerson Hyndman
Suspended: None
Unavailable: George Bello, Bradley Guzan, Miles Robinson
FC Cincinnati vs Atlanta United Predicted XI
FC Cincinnati Predicted XI (4-4-2): Kenneth Vermeer; Edgar Castillo, Gustavo Vallecilla, Geoff Cameron, Joseph-Claude Gyau; Haris Medunjanin, Yuya Kubo, Isaac Atanga, Alvaro Barreal; Luciano Acosta, Brenner
Atlanta United Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Ben Lundgaard; Mikey Ambrose, Anton Walkes, Alex De John, Brooks Lennon; Mohammed Adams, Amar Sejdic; Erik Lopez, Ezequiel Barco, Jake Mulraney; Erick Torres
FC Cincinnati vs Atlanta United Prediction
Both sides know they have no margin for failure as they risk dropping deep into the bottom half of the table. While we expect both teams to put up a fight, we predict they will cancel out each other’s efforts and settle for a draw.
Prediction: FC Cincinnati 1-1 Atlanta United