MLS: FC Dallas vs. Austin FC Preview, Odds, Prediction

FC Dallas and Austin FC will have an all-Texas derby on Saturday night at Toyota Stadium in Frisco. While the hosts find themselves in a difficult position, Austin FC has been playing very well in recent weeks, and they are coming into this event in search of a win. Austin is topping the Western Conference and is undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the entire campaign. On the other side, Dallas struggles to find its form, and they are slowly slipping outside the playoff zone.

Preview

FC Dallas (+105) is without a win for the last six games, and has one triumph in the recent nine events. Nico Estevez’s crew was among the best teams in the MLS until some six weeks ago, but they would suddenly drop and start underachieving.

In the past six contests, FC Dallas posted three defeats and draws each. The defense has been a significant problem because the Texas franchise couldn’t keep clean sheets for the last 11 consecutive encounters. They scored in 10 of them, but the attack wasn’t able to cover up for the defense’s flaws.

Dallas didn’t win the previous four home matches. The efficiency of the same has been pretty low, and four of the recent five games at Toyota Stadium have been with under 2.5 scores. Before this negative clash, Dallas was ferocious at home.

Austin FC (+250) shifted into a higher gear, having six games without a loss at the moment, and the last four all victories. That is why they sit first in the West with 40 points after 20 games, but the LAFC has one game in hand and a point fewer.

Austin’s game is pretty fluid, and this unit can adjust to almost any opponent. They act as a team, and even though there are fantastic individuals, the boys from Q2 Stadium have a “one for all and all for one” mentality.

Their past four outings all saw wins, and to make it even more remarkable, three of them were with clean sheets, not allowing a goal in Montreal, Charlotte, and Atlanta. On the last two road trips, Austin scored three goals in each event, beating the Rapids, 2-3, and Atlanta United, 0-3.

Latest News

Lucas Alen Bartlett is unavailable for Dallas in this game.

Jhojan Valencia has been ruled out for Austin for quite some time, and he won’t be present on Saturday night as well.

Head to Head Games

The most recent meeting between Austin and Dallas was at Q2 Stadium, and it took place on June 26, with the game finishing with a draw, 2-2. Their last three head-to-head encounters saw both teams scoring over 2.5 goals.

Prediction

This should be a fun game to watch with lots of goals on both ends of the field. Dallas has a problematic defense, while on the other side, their offense is solid. As for Austin, the boys in green are very good in all the areas on the field, but overall, this crew plays enjoyable and efficient football. That is why we bet on over 2.5 goals in this one, with the odds set at -125

Pick: Over 2.5 goals -125

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