Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Major League Soccer clash between Houston Dynamo and Austin FC, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Houston Dynamo will be looking to make it three home wins on the bounce when they go head to head with Austin FC on Saturday.
The Verde and Black have failed to win their last 10 MLS away matches since beating Minnesota United 4-1 in July 2023 and will journey to the Shell Energy Stadium looking to end this poor run.
Match preview
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Houston Dynamo returned to winning ways last Sunday as they edged out Minnesota United 2-1 when the sides squared off at Allianz Field.
After falling behind to a first-half own goal from Alejandro Bran, Franco Fragapane struck in the 70th minute to restore parity but Sebastian Kowalczyk netted in the 77th minute to hand the visitors all three points.
Prior to that, Ben Olsen‘s men saw their run of three consecutive victories come to an end on April 7 when they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Chicago Fire at Soldier Field.
Houston Dynamo have picked up four wins and one draw in their opening seven MLS games to collect 13 points and sit third in the Western Conference table, level on points with second-placed Vancouver Whitecaps.
Austin, on the other hand, were sent crashing back down to earth last weekend when they fell to a 1-0 defeat against St. Louis City at CityPark.
Following a relatively uneventful first half, Brazilian striker Joao Klauss came up clutch for the hosts as he netted the only goal of the game in the 57th minute to hand them all three points.
Prior to that, Josh Wolff‘s men picked up their first win of the season on March 31, when they edged out Dallas 2-1 at the Q2 Stadium, one week before claiming a 4-3 victory over San Jose Earthquakes.
While Austin’s two wins this season have come on home turf, they have struggled to get going on the road, where they are on a 10-game winless run in the league, losing six and claiming four draws since a 4-1 victory over Minnesota United in July 2023.
Austin have lost three of their eight MLS matches so far while claiming two wins and three draws to collect nine points and sit 11th in the Western Conference standings, level on points with 10th-placed Portland Timbers.
Houston Dynamo Major League Soccer form:
Houston Dynamo form (all competitions):
Austin FC Major League Soccer form:
Team News
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Houston Dynamo will take to the pitch without the midfield duo of Nelson Quinones and 33-year-old Hector Herrera, who have been sidelined through knee injuries.
Sebastian Ferreira has been sidelined since coming off with a muscle injury against St. Louis City on February 21 and will also play no part in this weekend’s game.
Argentine defender Franco Escobar missed the game against Minnesota United last time out through a slight injury while Micael dos Santos is also a doubt for this weekend’s matchup.
Austin FC, on the other hand, remain without defender Leo Vaisanen, who has missed each of the last seven matches since coming off injured against Minnesota on April 25.
Other than that, Verde and Black head into the weekend with a clean bill of health, giving Wolff the luxury of a relatively full squad at his disposal and we expect the 47-year-old to name a similar XI from last week’s loss against St. Louis.
Chilean striker Diego Rubio should lead the attack once again alongside 28-year-old Sebastian Driussi, who has three goals and one assist to his name this season, while Guilherme Biro, Brendan Hines-Ike, Julio Cascante and Jon Gallagher should form the back four once again.
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Clark; Steres, Bartlow, Sviatchenko, Dorsey; Artur, Carrasquilla; Aliyu, Bassi, Blessing; Kowalczyk
Austin FC possible starting lineup:
Stuver; Biro, Hines-Ike, Cascante, Gallagher; Pereira, Ring; Wolff, Driussi, Obrian; Rubio
We say: Houston Dynamo 2-1 Austin FC
Buoyed by their impressive display against Minnesota, Huston Dynamo will head into the weekend with sky-high confidence. Olsen’s men have enjoyed a solid start to the season and we see them seeing off an Austin side who have struggled for results on their travels.
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