Preview: Nashville SC vs. Orlando City – Predictions, Team News, and Lineups – Great

Nashville SC and Orlando City will both be aiming to cement their gap within the play-off positions when they meet in the MLS on Thursday.

Nashville have drawn their last two matches, while Orlando returned to winning ways last time out.

Match preview

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Indeed, Nashville have now drawn four of their last five matches, with their only win during that run coming in the form of a comfortable 3-0 victory away to Sporting Kansas City.

Two 0-0 and two 1-1 draws have displayed how tough Gary Smith‘s side are to beat, with the Boys In Gold boasting the strongest defensive record in the entire MLS this season. This could stand them in excellent stead in terms of progressing beyond the quarter-finals of the play-offs for the first time, should they qualify.

Although the six teams above them in the Eastern Conference have all scored considerably more goals than them, it is this defensive resilience which has helped Smith’s side open up a seven-point gap within the play-off positions, and they have a game or two in hand on the majority of the teams below them, too.

As such, they will be hoping to maintain their unbeaten run when Orlando City arrive into Tennessee in midweek, with another draw against their in-form opponents unlikely to do any harm to their aspirations whatsoever.

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After all, only Eastern Conference leaders Cincinnati have posted a superior record to Orlando City, with Oscar Pareja‘s side registering their 15th win in 31 league games against Montral Impact at the weekend.

Jonathan Sirois‘s own goal sent Orlando on their way to victory, with Dagur Dan Porhalsson and Facundo Torres both getting themselves on the scoresheet during a comfortable experience for the hosts at Exploria Stadium.

With eight wins in their last 12 league games, Orlando are undoubtedly one of the form teams in the entire MLS, and they appear to be heading into the play-offs with real momentum and a strong chance of bettering their first-round efforts from the previous two campaigns.

However, after losing their last away match 2-0 to New York City, the Lions are unlikely to find life as easy when they travel to Nashville in midweek, but with 10 points from their previous four away trips, Pareja will be confident that his side will not return to Florida empty-handed.

Nashville SC Major League Soccer form:

Orlando City Major League Soccer form:

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Team News

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Nashville will remain without Luke MacNaughton and Nick DePuy due to muscle and Achilles injuries respectively, with the pair set to return to first-team action later this month.

Despite registering just five shots as a team when blanking against Seattle last time out, former Nottingham Forest striker Sam Surridge could hold onto his place within the hosts’ attack.

Orlando, meanwhile, appear set to travel without Adam Grinwis, Favian Loyola and Antonio Carlos due to injury.

Providing Pareja is content with his players’ collective fitness levels, he may be tempted to name an unchanged starting XI having beaten Montreal emphatically at the weekend.

Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Moore, Zimmerman, Maher, Lovitz; Leal, McCarty, Godoy, Shaffelburg; Surridge, Mukhtar

Orlando City possible starting lineup:
Gallese; Porhallsson, Schlegel, Jansson, Santos; Araujo, Cartagena; Torres, Pereyra, Angulo; McGuire

We say: Nashville SC 1-1 Orlando City

Nashville have proven themselves to be the most stubborn team to break down across the MLS as a whole so far this season, and we expect that to continue on Thursday.

Orlando clearly have the more talented attackers and cohesive offensive play, though, and this should help them earn a share of the spoils.

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