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Cincinnati host Philadelphia at the TQL Stadium in the MLS on Saturday, with both sides having contrasting starts to the season.
Cincinnati are currently top of the Eastern Conference, having yet to lose a game this campaign. Pat Noonan's side will be going into the fixture off the back of a 1-0 win against Inter Miami last time out. They will look to build on their momentum and extend their lead at the top of the table with a win against Philadelphia on the weekend.
Philadelphia, on the other hand, are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind their opponents. Jim Curtin's side are winless in their last three league games, but bounced back with a 1-0 win against Atlas in the CONCACAF Champions League during midweek. They will hope to turn things around with a win against Cincinnati on Saturday.
Both sides will want to win the game for different reasons and that should make for an interesting matchup.
Cincinnati vs Philadelphia Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Philadelphia have dominated the recent head-to-head record between the two sides, having won three of their last five meetings, with Cincinnati winning only one.
- Philadelphia came away as 1-0 winners the last the two sides met back in October 2022. Leon Flach's goal was enough to secure the win on the night.
- Cincinnati have kept the joint highest number of clean sheets in the league so far this season with four.
- Philadelphia have the fourth-highest xG in the league this season at 9.7, but have underperformed it having only scored eight goals.
Cincinnati vs Philadelphia Prediction
Both sides have been in contrasting form recently and that should come to the fore during the game on Saturday.
Yuya Kubo will be unavailable for Cincinnati due to an injury. Meanwhile, Philadelphia will be without Kai Wagner.
It's difficult to choose between the two sides based on quality, but Cincinnati should be defensively sound enough to come away with the win on Saturday. We predict a tight game, with Cincinnati taking all three points.
Prediction: Cincinnati 1-0 Philadelphia
Cincinnati vs Philadelphia Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Cincinnati Win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score - NO (Cincinnati have kept four clean sheets in their last five games)
Tip 3 - Philadelphia to receive more than two bookings (Philadelphia are the third most booked side in the league so far this season, with 16 yellow cards and one red card)
