FC Dallas welcome Charlotte to the Toyota Stadium for their opening game of the CONCACAF Leagues Cup on Friday (July 21).
The hosts are coming off a 1-1 draw at Seattle Sounders in the MLS last weekend. Both goals were scored in the first half, with Sam Junqua's own goal cancelled out by Bernard Kamungo's leveler.
Charlotte, meanwhile, suffered a 2-0 defeat at CF Montreal. Kwadwo Opoku and Chinonso Offor scored first-half goals to inspire the Canadian side to victory. Both sides will now channel their focus on the continent. Mexican outfit Necaxa completes the trio of clubs in Group 11 of the tournament.
Both sides have struggled for consistency in recent weeks, with Dallas winning just one of their last six games. Charlotte, for their part, are winless in eight. They have shown a penchant to share the spoils in the last few months, with six games in their winless streak ending in draws.
A win for either side would put them in the driving seat to qualify for the knockouts. This will be the first time the two sides are squaring off against the other, so there;s no historical pattern, and the two sets of players can forge their own records.
Although either side could nick a win, expect the spoils to be shared in a low-scoring draw.
Prediction: Dallas 1-1 Charlotte
Tip 1 - Result: Draw
Tip 2 - Both teams to score
Tip 3 - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 4 - Highest scoring half: First half
Bold Tip - First half to produce over 1.5 goals
Read on sportskeeda.com