[ad_1]
Sports Mole previews Wednesday’s League Cup match between Monterrey and Austin FC, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Looking to book their place in the knockout stages of the 2024 League Cup, Austin FC go head to head with Mexican clothing Monterrey at Q2 Stadium on Tuesday.
Los Albiazules, who have enjoyed a strong start to the new Liga MX campaign, will go into the game looking to make it three wins on the bounce and start their cup quest on a high.
Match preview
© Reuters
Monterrey continued their good early season form in Liga MX as they earned a hard-fought 2-1 win over Queretaro when the two teams met at the Estadio BBVA last Sunday.
German Berterame scored his first goal of the season just before the half-hour mark to give the home side a half-time lead, and then Johan Rojas doubled the lead with a try in the 66th minute, Victor Lopez scored in the 88th minute to halve the loss for Queretaro.
Monterrey enter the new campaign on the back of a strong run at the Apertura 2023, having finished fourth in the table before reaching the play-off semi-finals, where they suffered a penalty shootout against Cruz Azul after a stalemate 2-2. with La Maquina.
Taking three wins from their four matches in Liga MX, Fernando Ortiz‘s men now turn their attention to the League Cup, where they will be looking to improve on their fourth place finish from last season.
Monterrey swept past three MLS teams in their opening three games, beating Real Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers en route to the round of 16 where they grabbed a 1-0 win over Tigres with a 97th-minute penalty from Sergio Canales before they fought back from two goals down to secure a 3-2 win over Los Angeles FC in the quarter-finals on 12 August.
However, Los Albiazules’ hopes of reaching the inaugural League Cup final were dashed by Nashville as they went down 2-0 against the Boys in Gold on August 16, three days before suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Philadelphia Union. in the play-off for third place.
© Reuters
In stark contrast, Austin endured a forgettable 2023 League Cup campaign as they were knocked out in the group stages after losing their two Group H games.
Both losses came to Mexican clubs as Los Verdes were beaten 3-1 by Mazatlan in their opening match on July 22, eight days before suffering a 3-1 defeat against Juarez.
However, a 3-2 win over Pumas UNAM on Saturday morning saw Austin start this year’s campaign on a positive note as they look to reach the knockout stages.
concierge Stephen Cleveland grabbed the headlines at the Q2 Stadium after making a superb penalty save in the 94th minute to keep the hosts’ one-goal lead intact and give them all three points.
At home, Austin are on a three-game winless run, taking one point from a possible nine in MLS and have managed just two wins in their last 11 games since the end of May.
This poor flow of results has been seen Josh Wolff‘s teams are out of the play-off qualifying spots in the Western Conference as they currently sit 10th in the standings, having picked up 31 points from 25 games.
Monterrey form (all competitions):
Austin FC League Cup Form:
Austin FC form (all competitions):
Team news
© Reuters
Berterame, who scored four goals in 10 league appearances last season, opened his account for the season against Queretaro and we expect the 25-year-old to once again lead Monterrey’s attack.
He should form the attacking quartet with Jordi CortizoCanales and Argentine striker Maximiliano Mezawhile we expect an unchanged pair of central defenders Victor Guzman and veteran defender Hector Moreno for the second game in a row.
New signature Oliver Torres has yet to feature for Los Albiazules as he continues his recovery from a shoulder injury and the former Sevilla man is out of contention for Tuesday’s game.
Austin will have to cope without the services of the Ghanaian midfielder Osman Bukariwho is suspended after receiving a red card in the first half against Pumas on Saturday.
In his absence, Owen Wolff must come to the fold, joining with Jon Gallagher, Daniel Pereira and the 33-year-old Ring of Alexander in the center of the park.
In defense, we expect an unchanged four from Saturday, with Guilherme Biro, Matt Hedges, Brendan Hines-Ike AND Mikkel Desler retaining their roles on the home side.
Monterrey’s probable starting line-up:
Andrada; Medina, Guzman, Moreno, Arteaga; Rodriguez, Ochoa; Meza, Canales, Cortizo; Berterame
Austin FC Probable Starting Lineup:
Cleveland; Biro, Hedges, Hines-Ike, Desler; Gallagher, Pereira, Ring, Wolff; Driussi, Zardes
We say: Monterrey 2-1 Austin FC
Having picked up a win on the opening day, Austin are on the brink of progressing to the knockout stage and will need at least a draw to confirm their spot. However, Monterrey have put together a string of solid results to start the new campaign and we see them coming away with a narrow win.
No data analysis information available
Email preview
[ad_2]
