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Philadelphia Union and Portland Timbers, two teams that have remained unbeaten so far in the MLS is back tournament, will go up against each other in the semi-finals.
Philadelphia dug their heels in and won the quarter-finals against Sporting Kansas 3-1 in a resilient display. Meanwhile, Portland came from behind to beat New York City FC in their corresponding quarter-final fixture.
Philadelphia scored all their 3 goals against Sporting Kansas in a 15-minute flurry where they seemed to get everything right as they launched counter-attacks relentlessly. Sergio Santos scored two goals for the Union on the night.
Recent history favours Portland Timbers and they are the favourites going into the game having beaten Philadelphia Union in all of their 4 previous meetings. Portland are also a counter-attacking force and it will be very interesting to see how the teams set up on Thursday.
Also read: 5 most unexpected winners of the UEFA Champions League
Philadelphia Union vs Portland Timbers Head-to-Head
Philadelphia and Portland have squared up against each other 10 times so far. Portland Timbers have dominated the fixture winning 6 of them. Philadelphia have just won once and 3 games have ended in a draw.
The last time these two met was in May last year and Portland Timbers won the game 3-1.
Philadelphia Union vs Portland Timbers Team News
For Philadelphia, Cory Burke has missed the MLS is back tournament due to travel restrictions. Other than him, Warren Creavale is a doubt after missing the quarter-finals due to a hamstring tweak.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Cory Burke
Suspended: None
Dairon Asprilla continues to be sidelined for the Timbers due to a knee injury. Other than that, Portland have a full squad to choose from.
Injured: Dairon Asprilla
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Philadelphia Union vs Portland Timbers Predicted XI
Philadelphia Union Predicted XI (4-4-2): Andre Blake; Kai Wagner, Mark McKenzie, Jack Elliot, Ray Gaddis; Jose Martinez, Jamiro, Alejandro Bedoya, Brenden Aaronson; Kacper Przybylko, Sergio Santos
Portland Timbers Predicted XI: Steve Clark, Jorge Vilafana, Larris Mabiala, Dario Zuparic, Chris Duvall, Erik Williamson, Diego Chara, Sebastian Blanco, Diego Valeri, Vimmi Chara, Jeremy Ebobisse
Philadelphia Union vs Portland Timbers Prediction
Both teams are unbeaten in the tournament. The young Philadelphia side seem to be really hitting their stride after the quarter-final game against Sporting Kansas. The counter-attack style seems to be working well for Portland and this could go either way.
Prediction: Philadelphia Union 2-3 Portland Timbers
