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Real Salt Lake invite the Vancouver Whitecaps to the Rio Tinto Stadium for an MLS 2021 Western Conference fixture on Friday night.
The home side have drawn their last three league fixtures while Vancouver have just one win from their last five matches. Real Salt Lake are eighth in the standings with nine points and the Whitecaps are 11th with seven points.
The hosts were held to a 1-1 draw in their previous outing by Minnesota United, who equalized 12 minutes from time. The Vancouver Whitecaps suffered their third defeat in a row when they lost 2-1 to Houston Dynamo in their previous game.
Also See: Fabrizio Romano's Transfer Roundup: Update on Manchester United's pursuit of Jadon Sancho, Chelsea's plans for Hakimi and more
Real Salt Lake vs Vancouver Whitecaps Head-to-Head
The two clubs have squared off 24 times across all competitions so far. They have been pretty evenly matched in their encounters with 11 wins for Vancouver Whitecaps and nine games going the Claret and Cobalt's way.
Their last 14 encounters have produced conclusive results but the spoils have been shared four times between them as well.
They last faced off in an MLS regular season fixture during the 2020 campaign in October. That game at Providence Park ended in a 2-1 win for the Whitecaps, who scored the winner in the 75th minute via Lucas Cavallini after Douglas Martinez's own goal restored parity in the 71st minute.
Real Salt Lake form guide in MLS: D-D-D-L-W
Vancouver Whitecaps form guide in MLS: L-L-L-W-L
Real Salt Lake vs Vancouver Whitecaps Team News
Real Salt Lake
The home side are expected to be without the services of midfielder Everton Luiz, who is still recovering from a knee injury sustained almost a month ago. New signing Bobby Wood has trained with the squad since last week but is not expected to start here.
Jonathan Menéndez and Toni Datković are awaiting clearances on their visas and might not be able to return to the US in time for the game. David Ochoa has resumed training after a month away with the US national team and is in contention to start here.
Injured: Everton Luiz, Booby Wood
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Jonathan Menéndez, Toni Datković
Vancouver Whitecaps
Andy Rose and Jake Nerwinski have been ruled out with injuries for the Whitecaps. Bruno Gaspar has returned to training but is not expected to start. Ali Adnan is still battling visa issues and is not available for this match.
Injured: Bruno Gaspar, Andy Rose, Jake Nerwinski
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Ali Adnan
Also Read: Jim Beglin's column - 5 players who could impress in unfamiliar positions
Real Salt Lake vs Vancouver Whitecaps Predicted XI
Real Salt Lake Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): David Ochoa; Donny Toia, Justen Glad, Marcelo Silva, Andrew Brody; Nick Besler, Pablo Ruiz; Justin Meram, Damir Kreilach, Albert Rusnak; Rubio Rubin
Vancouver Whitecaps Predicted XI Vancouver Whitecaps Predicted XI (4-3-3): Maxime Crepeau; Cristian Gutierrez, Derek Cornelius, Ranko Veselinovic, Erik Godoy; Caio Alexandre, Michael Baldisimo, Russell Teibert; Cristian Dajome, Lucas Cavallini, Deiber Caicedo
Real Salt Lake vs Vancouver Whitecaps Prediction
Vancouver have scored fewer goals than the hosts and conceded more. They have also dropped points on more occasions than the home side.
Though the Whitecaps have a better record in the fixture, given the current form of both sides, we expect the hosts to record a narrow win in this fixture.
Prediction: Real Salt Lake 1-0 Vancouver Whitecaps.
