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Sports Mole previews Thursday's Major League Soccer clash between Real Salt Lake and Dallas, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Real Salt Lake will be aiming to bounce back from a humiliating defeat last time out when they welcome Dallas to America First Field on Thursday.
 
The visitors, meanwhile, make the journey to Utah also in need of a pick-me-up as they look to mount a late challenge for a place in the playoffs.

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Match preview

A fortnight on from their 2-0 triumph over New England Revolution, which saw them return to winning ways, Real Salt Lake were comprehensively thrashed 4-1 by Houston Dynamo in Sunday's encounter at the Shell Energy Stadium.
 
Since a 2-1 win over Atlas to kick off their Leagues Cup journey, Pablo Mastroeni's men have now been beaten in three of their subsequent four outings, including a 2-0 home defeat to a struggling San Jose Earthquakes side.
 
Nonetheless, the Claret and Cobalt remain well placed to make it through to the playoffs as they currently sit fourth in the Western Conference of the MLS table, although any hopes of challenging for top spot in the division are now all but over.
 
With only six games left to play in the regular season, Real Salt Lake will be keen to rediscover their form from earlier this year, having gone 15 league matches without a defeat between March 24 and June 20.
 
Thursday's matchup will see them go up against an opposing outfit who have lost just one of the most recent six meetings, but the hosts will be confident of turning the tide off the back of four wins in their last five games on home turf.

 
FC Dallas were involved in their first goalless stalemate for almost five months in a share of the spoils against an in-form Vancouver Whitecaps side at BC Place two Sundays ago.
 
Peter Luccin's men conceded three times as many shots as they were able to muster but held firm to come away with a point, thanks in no small part to Jimmy Maurer's heroics in between the sticks.
 
Those dropped points against Vancouver mean that the Toros are now five points adrift of playoff contention, and with only six matches left, there is little margin for error from here on out.
 
Dallas' clean sheet last time out was perhaps the only positive, as they managed to shut out their opponents for the first time in seven games across all competitions since beating LA Galaxy 2-0.

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Team News

Real Salt Lake trio Jose Bonilla, Pablo Ruiz and Nelson Palacio are currently battling with knee injuries, ruling them out of contention for this one.
 
The home side will also be without the services of Marcelo Silva through a muscle injury, while Brayan Vera is yet to fully recuperate from a neck problem.
 
Diego Luna put on a man-of-the-match performance in the most recent edition of this fixture and will be looking to deliver the goods once again.
 
Twenty-six-year-old Liam Fraser has not featured for Dallas since late June due to a leg injury, which will keep him out of Thursday's affair as well.
 
Geovane Jesus and Paxton Pomykal continue to nurse knee injuries and are unavailable for this one, although the former is drawing increasingly closer to a return to action.

With Maarten Paes away on duty with the Indonesian national team, Jimmy Maurer was handed a rare start last time out but is expected to drop back to the bench here.

Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:
Beavers; Katranis, Quinton, Glad, Brown; Ojeda, Eneli; Luna, Goncalves, Brook; Arango

Dallas possible starting lineup:
Paes; Junqua, Nkosi Tafari, Ibeagha; Farfan, Illarramendi, Lletget, Arriola; Ntsabeleng, Ferreira, Musa

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We say: Real Salt Lake 2-1 Dallas

Goals have been a regular feature of this fixture, and we can hardly see things changing on Thursday.
 
We are also backing Real Salt Lake to come away with maximum points come the sound of the final whistle.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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