DC United will look to bounce back from a 6-0 thrashing when they return to MLS action on Wednesday, as they host New York Red Bulls.
The visitors, on the other hand, find themselves in an impressive run of form, having climbed to sixth spot in the Western Conference standings thanks to a run of eight games without a defeat.
Match preview
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Having previously held onto a top-seven spot for the majority of the season, DC United now find themselves in a poor run of form, with just one point from their last four outings.
After picking up back-to-back victories, Hernan Losada's men travelled to Orlando City, and they looked set to earn a point in a 1-1 draw, only for Daryl Dike to snatch all three points for the hosts with a 97th-minute winner.
The Black-and-Red then played out a goalless draw with Nashville SC, before being beaten 3-2 on home turf by Conference leaders New England Revolution.
Losada's men travelled to take on New York City on Sunday, with the hopes of returning to winning ways, but that did not go at all to plan, as they were handed a 6-0 thrashing after trailing throughout the entire game following Thiago Andrade's opener in the first minute.
Having now dropped out of the playoff places due to their poor form, DC United face an uphill battle with three games left to play and two points to make up, making a victory vital on Wednesday.
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They meet a New York Red Bulls side who find themselves in an opposite run, having not lost any of their last eight league outings.
With just 27 points from their opening 24 games, The Red Bulls' playoff hopes looked bleak, but they have turned around their campaign in recent weeks with a major upturn in form.
Gerhard Struber's side have now won five of their last six games, collecting 15 points to quickly rise to sixth spot in the Conference, leapfrogging Wednesday's hosts in the process.
After convincing victories over Inter Miami and New York City FC and a draw with Philadeplhia Union, NYRB posted consecutive victories over FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami and New York City, before making it four straight wins when they beat Columbus Crew 2-1 on Saturday.
Sean Nealis secured all three points with an 87th-minute winner, and they will now go in search of a fifth victory on the spin on Wednesday to keep a hold of their playoff spot, as they only lead CF Montreal on goal difference.
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Team News
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DC United come into the game with a relatively clean bill of health, after defender Brendan Hines-Ike was fit to make the bench for the trip to New York City.
He could be called upon after the concerning defensive display, while Ola Kamara will continue to star at the opposite end of the pitch, having netted 17 goals in 25 MLS appearances so far this season.
Following their impressive run of form, New York Red Bulls are unlikely to make many changes to their side, with only Aaron Long continuing to miss out.
Tom Edwards, Sean Nealis and Andres Reyes should again form a back three, with Sean Davis and Dru Yearwood continuing to handle business in the engine room.
Winger Cristian Casseres has been in fine form going forward, having contributed two goals and two assists in his last four appearances.
DC United possible starting lineup:
Hamid; Gressel, Odoi-Atsen, Hines-Ike, Birnbaum, Mora; Moreno, Canouse, Paredes; Kamara, Robertha
New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:
Carlos; Nealis, Edwards, Reyes; Duncan, Yearwood, Davis, Gutman; Casseres, Klimala, Fabio
We say: DC United 0-2 New York Red Bulls
Given the contrasting form of the two sides, we can only see New York Red Bulls continuing their momentum on Wednesday.
The visitors are full of confidence and will be keen to get over the line in the final few games to book their spot in the playoffs.
Top tip
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 DC United win with a probability of 41.77%. A win for New York Red Bulls had a probability of 33.14% and a draw had a probability of 25.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a DC United win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.02%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.88%) and 2-0 (6.77%). The likeliest New York Red Bulls win was 0-1 (7.87%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.82%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 9% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for DC United in this match.
