MX23RW : Thursday, May 2 22:29:54| >> :120:24253:24253:
[monks data]
Vancouver Whitecaps
Major League Soccer | Gameweek 5
May 8, 2021 at 8pm UK
Rio Tinto Stadium
Montreal Impact

Vancouver
2 - 0
Montreal

Dajome (57' pen., 71')
Caicedo (32'), Veselinovic (38'), Cavallini (45'), Owusu (82')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Mihailovic (24')

Preview: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. CF Montreal - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Major League Soccer clash between Vancouver Whitecaps and CF Montreal, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

An all-Canadian affair takes place on Saturday when Western Conference side Vancouver Whitecaps host Eastern Conference side CF Montreal in Major League Soccer.

The last meeting between the two sides in September ended in a 3-1 victory for the Whitecaps but three days previously Montreal gained the upper hand with a 4-2 win in the MLS.


Match preview

Vancouver Whitecaps players celebrate scoring on April 19, 2021© Reuters

Vancouver Whitecaps have had a mixed start to their league campaign with one win, draw and loss in their opening three games, which currently places them ninth in the Western Conference.

On Monday, Marc Dos Santos's side allowed Colorado Rapids to pick up their first three points of the season with a 1-0 win against the Whitecaps, who fell to a 26th-minute strike from forward Diego Rubio.

The Whitecaps have not enjoyed much success since being introduced into the MLS in 2011 and last season they finished the overall campaign in 17th, their third-worst finish in the 10 seasons they have been involved.

Saturday's meeting with Montreal is the last fixture the Whitecaps will play at the BC Place Stadium before travelling to the United States for their next four matches after this, and so they will potentially need to capitalise on their last game on home turf for over a month.

Wilfried Nancy's side have made a solid start to their MLS campaign having not tasted defeat in their first three fixtures, playing out two draws after beating Toronto 4-2 on the opening gameweek.

Last time out, 27-year-old goalkeeper Clement Diop registered his first clean sheet of the season after Columbus Crew failed to produce a shot on target in their goalless draw with Montreal.

The hosts in that game dominated the chances in front of goal and they will perhaps feel disappointed that they did not manage to convert one of their 20 shots; had they done so a win would have sent them top of the Eastern MLS.

Montreal were introduced into the MLS a year later than their opponents on Saturday, and likewise they have struggled to achieve any title winnings, with their best overall finish coming in 2015 when they finished seventh.

Nancy's side will be aiming to continue their undefeated start to the MLS season so far and try to open up a gap between themselves and the teams below the promotion qualification places in the league.

Vancouver Whitecaps Major League Soccer form:
  • W
  • D
  • L

CF Montreal Major League Soccer form:
  • W
  • D
  • D



Team News

Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Marc Dos Santos directs his team against the Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium in September 2020© Reuters

Vancouver Whitecaps are expected to continue to be without central midfielder Leonard Owusu, who has not featured as of yet this season due to a hamstring injury, however left-sided defender Ali Adnan could return to the side after also missing the opening three fixtures.

Dos Santos's side have been a threat from set pieces this season and left-back Cristian Gutierrez will be aiming to add to his two assists so far.

As for Saturday's visitors, they are expected to be without Mathieu Choiniere and Luis Binks through injury, but Lassi Lappalainen made his return to the side last time out against Columbus Crew.

Striker Mason Toye is the club's early leading goalscorer having found the net twice in the opening two games, although he did miss Montreal's last game on the weekend.

Former Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Victor Wanyama has been a key figure in Nancy's starting 11 this season and he is expected to start again on Saturday.

Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Crepeau; Gutierrez, Rose, Veselinovic, Nerwinski; Caicedo, Teibert, Bikel, Dajome; Cavallini, Alexandre

CF Montreal possible starting lineup:
Diop; Miller, Camacho, Struna; Kizza, Wanyama, Sejdic, Brault-Guillard; Mihailovic; Hurtado, Quioto


SM words green background

We say: Vancouver Whitecaps 1-1 CF Montreal

Montreal will be keen to continue their unbeaten record this season which may see them be less adventurous in this game to ensure they do not lose it.

The hosts will be aiming to put their last result right by not following it up with another loss and therefore the Whitecaps could become defensive in this game also.



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 CF Montreal win with a probability of 40.48%. A win for Vancouver Whitecaps had a probability of 33.38% and a draw had a probability of 26.1%.

The most likely scoreline for a CF Montreal win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.04%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.64%) and 0-2 (6.98%). The likeliest Vancouver Whitecaps win was 1-0 (8.95%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.43%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 5.5% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: Vancouver vs Montreal

Vancouver Whitecaps
36.4%
Draw
27.3%
CF Montreal
36.4%
11
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Eastern Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Inter MiamiInter Miami1163226161021
2FC CincinnatiCincinnati10532129318
3New York Red BullsNY Red Bulls104511410417
4Toronto105141113-216
5Columbus Crew10361129315
6New York City FCNY City104241110114
7Philadelphia UnionPhiladelphia93421714313
8DC United103431415-113
9Atlanta UnitedAtlanta9333139412
10CF MontrealMontreal93331216-412
11Charlotte FCCharlotte FC103251013-311
12Chicago Fire102441118-710
13Orlando City92341117-69
14Nashville SCNashville91531017-78
15New England RevolutionNew England9117618-124

Western Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Real Salt LakeSalt Lake10532179818
2Los Angeles GalaxyLA Galaxy105322117418
3Vancouver WhitecapsVancouver95221810817
4Minnesota UnitedMinnesota Utd95221510517
5Los Angeles FCLos Angeles104331816215
6Colorado RapidsColorado104331615115
7Austin FCAustin104331413115
8Houston DynamoHouston9414910-113
9St Louis City92611514112
10Sporting Kansas CityKansas102531818011
11Portland TimbersPortland102442021-110
12Seattle SoundersSeattle10235131309
13Dallas9225912-38
14San Jose EarthquakesEarthquakes101181425-114


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