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Atlanta United
Major League Soccer | Gameweek 27
Aug 28, 2021 at 8.30pm UK
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Nashville

Atlanta
0 - 2
Nashville


Barco (37'), Sejdic (61')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Rios (45+2'), Leal (90+5')
Lovitz (26'), Anunga (75'), Leal (90+6')

Preview: Atlanta United vs. Nashville SC - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Major League Soccer clash between Atlanta United and Nashville SC, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Atlanta United have an opportunity to extend their unbeaten run to six games when they host Nashville SC on Saturday at Mercedes Benz Stadium.

The Five Stripes have won three in a row since appointing Gonzalo Pineda as manager, while Nashville are in a battle for second in the Eastern Conference, currently sitting two points behind Orlando City for that spot.


Match preview

Atlanta United FC forward Josef Martinez (7) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against DC United at Audi Field on August 24, 2021© Reuters

It is incredible how much one change can turn everything around, and in Atlanta, a new coach has breathed new life into this team.

Under Gabriel Heinze, this side were in disarray, on the outside of the playoffs for most of the season, going winless in eight straight matches and numerous reports of infighting and players not seeing eye-to-eye with their coach.

The arrival of Pineda seems to have been a breath of fresh air for this side, who have only missed the post season once in their history and thanks to their current four-game winning streak, they are even on points with DC United for that final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

More often than not, they have a decided edge over their opponents in terms of possession, but they have created a lot more scoring opportunities of late, firing no fewer than four shots on target in a single game on their current run.

Atlanta have made up a lot of ground on their Eastern Conference rivals this month, their top players are scoring, and they have kept two clean sheets in their last three outings.

Saturday will be the start of a five-game homestand for this team, who have won back-to-back encounters at Mercedes Benz Stadium after losing two straight games by a single goal.

Nashville SC defender Jack Maher celebrates with teammates on June 24, 2021© Reuters

Like the Five Stripes when they entered the league as an expansion side, Nashville have emerged as an elite team in only their second season in MLS.

Aside from the New England Revolution, who are well ahead of everyone right now, the Eastern Conference has been highly competitive, with the Black-and-Gold certainly holding their own.

On Wednesday, Gary Smith saw his team grab a point against one of the teams they are hoping to catch in the table, as they squandered a second half lead to draw 1-1 with the Lions.

This team made the playoffs in their inaugural campaign thanks to a strong defensive shape and keeping their matches tight.

While they are still employing those principles to great effect, this is a team with a well-balanced attack that can punish you if you give them an opening.

They are well-positioned in the standings, even though only one point currently separates fifth-place New York City FC from Orlando City in second.

Nashville have earned points all season long by not losing consecutive fixtures, while suffering only two defeats so far, the fewest in MLS.

Atlanta United Major League Soccer form:
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W

Nashville SC Major League Soccer form:
  • W
  • D
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • D



Team News

Atlanta United midfielder Marcelino Moreno (10) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Columbus Crew in the second half at Lower.com Stadium on August 7, 2021© Reuters

Ezequiel Barco set a club record in their last match with eight fouls won, while he set up the winning goal from Marcelino Moreno with less than 10 minutes remaining.

Former MLS Golden Boot winner Josef Martinez seems to have found his goalscoring form again with two goals in his last three games.

Emerson Hyndman remains out with a torn ACL, Mo Adams has a left quad injury, while Jake Mulraney, Franco Ibarra and Santiago Sosa are all questionable with lower-body injuries and Matheus Rossetto came on as a substitute versus the Black-and-Red last week.

This season, CJ Sapong has added a lot to the Nashville attack, scoring seven goals in his last seven starts for the club as he leads the team with nine so far this year.

Anibal Godoy has emerged as a star playmaker in the middle of the pitch, currently fourth in the league when it comes to passing percentage, as he is clicking at 92.5%, while Hany Mukhtar took the team lead in assists in their last fixture, with his seventh of the season.

Daniel Rios made his second consecutive appearance for the Black-and-Gold, and Walker Zimmerman continues to shine in central defence as he was rock solid at the MLS All-Star game this week and was also named to the US National Team for their World Cup qualifiers next month.

Atlanta United possible starting lineup:
Guzan; Bello, Walkes, Campbell, Robinson, Lennon; Moreno, Rossetto, Damm; Barco, Martinez

Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Maher, Zimmerman, Lovitz, Romney; Johnston, McCarty, Godoy, Muyl; Sapong, Mukhtar


SM words green background

We say: Atlanta United 2-1 Nashville SC

Finally, the Five Stripes are starting to play to their capabilities, and they should not have any problem maintaining their momentum with a capacity crowd expected to cheer them on this weekend.

Nashville have been able to hang around in all of their matches this season, but they struggle to find the back of the net away from home, having been shut out of four road games this season.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Atlanta United win with a probability of 54.17%. A draw had a probability of 25.8% and a win for Nashville SC had a probability of 19.98%.

The most likely scoreline for an Atlanta United win was 1-0 with a probability of 14.69%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (11.22%) and 2-1 (9.13%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.95%), while for a Nashville SC win it was 0-1 (7.83%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 3.2% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: Atlanta vs Nashville

Atlanta United
66.7%
Draw
27.8%
Nashville SC
5.6%
18
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New England Revolution forward Gustavo Bou celebrates scoring with teammates on June 28, 2021
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Eastern Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Inter MiamiInter Miami1484235201528
2FC CincinnatiCincinnati138321610627
3New York Red BullsNY Red Bulls136522419523
4New York City FCNY City136251615120
5Charlotte FCCharlotte FC136251413120
6Toronto136161619-319
7Columbus Crew124621612418
8DC United134542023-317
9Philadelphia UnionPhiladelphia123542221114
10Nashville SCNashville123541619-314
11Orlando City123451420-613
12Atlanta UnitedAtlanta123361615112
13CF MontrealMontreal123361626-1012
14Chicago Fire132471223-1110
15New England RevolutionNew England11218922-137

Western Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Real Salt LakeSalt Lake1374222111125
2Minnesota UnitedMinnesota Utd116321913621
3Los Angeles FCLos Angeles136342419521
4Los Angeles GalaxyLA Galaxy135622521421
5Colorado RapidsColorado136342118321
6Austin FCAustin135441615119
7Vancouver WhitecapsVancouver125341814418
8Houston DynamoHouston125251112-117
9St Louis City123721817116
10Seattle SoundersSeattle133461516-113
11Portland TimbersPortland133462527-213
12Sporting Kansas CityKansas122551921-211
13Dallas113261216-411
14San Jose EarthquakesEarthquakes133192232-1010


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