It is derby day on Saturday in the Major League Soccer Western Conference when Los Angeles Galaxy make the short journey to the Banc Of California Stadium in order to play Los Angeles FC.
The hosts have been the more dominant of the two teams, and they currently sit top of the league table, but the visitors did end their three-game run without a win earlier this week.
Match preview
Los Angeles FC have been dominant throughout the campaign so far, with their performances being rewarded by the fact that they are currently top of the league.
They have been offensively impressive in their opening 18 matches, scoring 35 goals, which is more than any other team in the division to this point.
Despite their performances throughout the campaign, Los Angeles FC were defeated in their most recent outing against Vancouver Whitecaps.
An 89th-minute goal from Andres Cubas proved to be the difference-maker between the two teams, which opened up the opportunity for Austin FC to close the gap between them.
There is only two points between them right now, putting pressure on each match as Los Angeles will not want to give them the chance to catch them up.
Even though Los Angeles FC are enjoying a stronger league position, the last time that the two teams met it was LA Galaxy that picked up the victory.
The two teams met earlier this season in the U.S. Open Cup where Greg Vanney's men put in an impressive performance that earned them a 3-1 win as Kevin Cabral, Javier Hernandez, and Dejan Joveljic all got on the scoresheet.
LA Galaxy then went through a difficult period where they failed to win in three of their games, which included them being knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup by Sacramento Republic.
Greg Vanney's men then responded to that in their most recent outing where they got themselves back to winning ways with an emphatic 4-0 result against Montreal.
Hernandez and Joveljic both got on the scoresheet, while Rayan Raveloson picked up a second-half brace, which the squad will be hoping to now repeat in derby day.
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Team News
The league leaders have got a host of injuries to deal with at the moment, with Erik Duenas dealing with a knee issue while Julian Gaines has been suffering a pelvis problem.
Ismael Tajouri has had a left quad injury as of late, but he could end up being brought back into action this time around if he is fit enough to do so.
After a dominant victory during their most recent outing, LA Galaxy could end up pushing the same starting lineup in a bid to provide consistency for the squad.
Hernandez and Joveljic have been dominant upfront for the visitors lately, and the combination of them together is something that should prove to be effective.
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Crepeau; Fall, Ibeagha, Murillo; Hollingshead, Ginella, Acosta, Blessing, Escobar; Arango, Musovski
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
Bond; Edwards, Williams, Coulibaly, Araujo; Alvarez, Delgado, Raveloson, Grandsir; Hernandez, Joveljic
We say: Los Angeles FC 2-1 Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles FC will be wanting an immediate response after being beaten in their most recent outing, and they will believe that a derby victory is an ideal way to achieve that.
LA Galaxy will be sure to provide a stern test for them though as they have been impressive themselves as of late, but with the home advantage against them this could be a tough task.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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