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Houston Dynamo will welcome in-form Austin FC to their home turf at PNC Stadium in Major League Soccer action on Saturday.
Maxi Urruti will be making a return to his former base where he made a significant statement last season.
Houston Dynamo vs Austin Preview
Houston Dynamo FC intended to stretch their unbeaten run to six matches but suffered a late 2-1 reversal against FC Dallas in their last outing. They are currently seventh in the Western Conference with 12 points.
New head coach Paulo Nagamura appears to have restructured the outfit and cured the hangover of last season’s dismal adventure. Another promising arrival is striker Sebastian Ferreira, who joined during the offseason from Paraguayan club Libertad. He already boasts three goals and one assist.
Austin FC sit second in the Western Conference standings with 17 points, two shy of leaders LAFC after eight matches played. Unbeaten in five matches, which includes three wins in a row, the Verde & Black will look to set a record.
This will be their first-ever four-match winning streak in the MLS if they secure a win against Dynamo. Coach Josh Wolff will have the likes of Urruti to lean on. The Argentine striker will be operating in familiar territory against the team where he earned cult status last year.
Houston Dynamo vs Austin Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- In their previous five clashes, from mid last year, Austin recorded a total of three wins while Dynamo won two. In all, Austin scored 11 goals against Dynamo and conceded eight in the process.
- Their most recent meeting at the PNC Stadium was a friendly match played on 13 February of this year, which ended in a 0-4 win in favour of Austin.
- Both teams possess about the same number of stats in all competitions in their most recent six matches. Each have three wins, two draws and one loss. However, the formation of the stats differs slightly with both: Houston: D-W-W-D-W-L, Austin: D-D-W-W-L-W.
- Houston Dynamo have won only one of their last three Major League Soccer games against Austin FC while the team from Texas have lost just one of their last three MLS games against Dynamo.
- Houston Dynamo haven't lost in any of their last six home matches while Austin FC did not find the back of the net in one of their three away MLS matches this season.
Houston Dynamo vs Austin Prediction
Houston Dynamo are meeting a familiar foe who have snatched some bragging rights in the past at the PNC Stadium. They need to exercise their strong home form to stop the visitors, who are coming to town with a man who knows the hosts more than anyone else - Maxi Urruti – Dynamo’s former hitman.
Austin are eyeing a record fourth win in a row but their scoring form on the road needs to improve in order to achieve that. They will need to adjust to make up for the absence of injured defender Freddy Kleemann and suspended midfielder Cecilio Dominguez.
We expect Houston Dynamos to secure a win on Saturday.
Prediction: Houston Dynamo 2-1 Austin
Houston Dynamo vs Austin Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Houston Dynamo
Tip 2: Game to have over 2.5 goals – Yes
Tip 3: Houston Dynamo to score first – Yes
Tip 4: Fafa Picault to score - Yes
