NYCFC return home to face Atlanta United in a rematch of last year's playoff encounter at Yankee Stadium.
The Boys In Blue played out a thrilling 4-4 draw against FC Cincinnati on Thursday, rallying from a three-goal deficit, but are winless since Nick Cushing took over as interim manager following the departure of Ronny Deila.
Atlanta has dropped consecutive 2-1 decisions to Toronto and the New York Red Bulls and are sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference standings, five points off of a playoff spot.
Team news
The Boys In Blue will be without Thiago Martins, who has a lower body injury as well as Keaton Parks, who has a blood clot in his thigh and underwent a procedure this past week to treat it.
Star striker Valentin Castellanos is questionable with an undisclosed illness while defender Maxime Chanot's status is also up in the air as he battles a lower body issue.
Atlanta United
Midfielder Franco Ibarra will miss out due to yellow card accumulation after picking up his fifth caution in the midweek defeat at Red Bull Arena.
The Five Stripes will welcome back Thiago Almada as the Brazilian returns following suspension that saw him miss the entire month of June after bumping a referee.
Predicted lineups
NYCFC: Johnson; Gloster, Chanot, Callens, Gray; Morales, Acevedo; Magno, Moralez, Andrade; Castellanos
Atlanta United: Shuttleworth; Wiley, Campbell, Franco, Centeno; Ibarra, Hyndman; Cisneros, Moreno, Araújo; Martínez
Ones to watch
Maxi Moralez (NYCFC)
The midfield maestro assisted on three of NYCFC's four goals in their midweek thriller against Cincinnati, which also tied the franchise record.
One of the best creative forces in the center of the pitch, Moralez has six assists on the season and will be a focal point for the Atlanta defense.
Josef Martinez (Atlanta United)
He's by far the Five Stripes most dangerous and, at times, eclectic player, but he scored the club's first-ever goal at Red Bull Arena on Thursday and is now joint leader with Luiz Araujo and Ronald Cisneros on the season.
Martinez has also been particularly effective against NYCFC, finding the back of the net five times in seven career appearances, including the playoffs.
Previous meetings
The two teams last met in the first round of last year's playoffs with NYCFC coming out on top 2-0 on their way to the MLS Cup title.
The Boys In Blue appeared to open the scoring in the 44th minute through Santiago Rodriguez, but VAR overturned the call due to offsides.
Early in the second half, the hosts did get their opener, Castellanos sending a bouncing volley towards the Atlanta net that caught out goalkeeper Brad Guzan and the Five Stripes defense.
The lead was doubled on 53 minutes, Guzan saving Moralez' initial shot on to the post, but Alexander Callens headed into the open net on the rebound.
How to watch
The match will be streamed nationally on ESPN+. In New York, coverage will be provided by the YES Network while Bally Sports South has all of the action in Atlanta.
Kickoff is set for 5pm Eastern time.