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St. Louis host Charlotte at Citypark in the MLS on Saturday, with both sides having contrasting starts to the season.
St. Louis are currently second in the Western Conference, having won their opening game 3-2 against Austin FC. Goals from Tim Parker, Jared Stroud and Joao Klauss were enough to secure the victory on the night for Bradley Carnell's side. They will look to build on their strong start with a win against Charlotte on the weekend.
Charlotte, on the other hand, are currently 11th in the Eastern Conference, having lost 1-0 in their opening game against New England. Christian Lattanzio's side will want to turn things around with a win against St. Louis on Saturday.
Both sides will want to win the game for different reasons and that should make for an interesting matchup.
St. Louis vs Charlotte Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the first time that the two sides will face off against each other.
- St. Louis scored the joint second-highest number of goals on the opening game week with three, in their 3-2 win against Austin FC.
- St. Louis had the most successful tackles in their opening game of the season with 17.
- Charlotte had the eighth lowest xG in their opening game of the season at only 1.2.
St. Louis vs Charlotte Prediction
Both sides had very different opening games of the season and that should come to the fore during the game on Saturday.
Joao Klauss and Jared Stroud are both doubts for St. Louis, while Indiana Vassilev is out due to a concussion. Meanwhile, Charlotte will be without Vinicius Mello, Kristijan Kahlina, Guzman Corujo and Adam Armour due to injury.
It's hard to see Charlotte coming away with anything from the game, given the difference in form and quality between the two sides. We predict St. Louis will win the game comfortably.
Prediction: St. Louis 3-1 Charlotte
St. Louis vs Charlotte Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: St. Louis Win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score - YES (Neither team had particularly good defensive performances in their respective opening games of the MLS season)
Tip 3 - Charlotte to dominate possession in the game (Charlotte had an average possession of 54.4% in their opening game of the season, which is the 11th highest in the league. Meanwhile, St. Louis had an average possession of only 40.3%, which is the 5th lowest in the MLS)
