Sunday sees an intriguing encounter in MLS between Houston Dynamo and Sporting KC.
Houston Dynamo currently sit 7th in MLS's Western Conference with eight wins, three draws and nine losses from twenty games this season.
It's been a solid campaign for Houston thus far as they sit in the Final Series places at just past the halfway point of the season.
They're coming into this game amidst a mixed run of form, though, having won three and lost two of their last five matches, the most recent of which was a 1-0 loss to Seattle Sounders.
Having lost 3-0 in Austin the game prior, the defeat in Seattle marked Houston's second consecutive loss, a run that follows a streak of four consecutive wins.
There is no need to panic for Houston given the two defeats on the bounce, but they do need to improve their form away from home having lost four of their last five on the road.
They've had no such struggles on their own patch, however, as they enter this game having won each of their last four consecutive matches on home soil.
Houston need a win to here to avoid slipping into a rut, as three defeats on the bounce would be a concern for side from Texas.
It won't be an easy game, but their strength at home makes them favourites here.
Sporting KC currently sit 10th in MLS's Western Conference with six wins, six draws and ten losses from twenty-two games this season.
It's been a mixed campaign for Kansas as they find themselves short of the Final Series positions, but only by three points so there's plenty of time for them to build.
They enter this game amidst a mixed run of form having won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five games.
Most recently, Kansas surged to a thumping 3-0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps in a win that they'll hope will lead to a sustained run of form given that was their first win in four games.
Their form away from home is a concern, though, having failed to win any of their last five games on the road while winning just one of their last ten.
Kansas are unbeaten in their last four MLS meetings against Houston so they can take confidence from that in light of their poor away form.
Both sides could do with a win here but given the respective form of two sides it favours the home side here.
For our Houston Dynamo vs. Sporting KC prediction, we're going for a 2-1 win for the home side.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.
