An intriguing battle will take place in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs as the Los Angeles Galaxy host Nashville SC at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Los Angeles enters the postseason on a four-match unbeaten run that saw them finish fourth in the standings while Nashville, in their first season in the West, rallied for five wins and two draws over their final eight games to finish fifth.
The winner of this contest will advance to face top seed and Supporters Shield winners LAFC in the Western Conference semifinals next Thursday.
Team news
Defender Jorge Villafana and attacking midfielder Jonathan Perez are the only absentees for Los Angeles as both are suffering from knee injuries.
Nashville SC
Anibal Godoy is questionable as the defensive midfielder is battling a left thigh issue.
Predicted lineups
Los Angeles Galaxy: Bond; Edwards, Coulibaly, Cáceres, Araujo; Grandsir, Puig, Brugman, Delgado, Costa; Chicharito
Nashville SC: Willis; Lovitz, Romney, Zimmerman, Moore; Shaffelburg, Davis, McCarty, Leal; Mukhtar, Bunbury
Ones to watch
Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez (Los Angeles Galaxy)
The Mexican, in his fourth season with the Galaxy, had another fine season with 18 goals, good for seventh in the league and two assists and was named a finalist for the MVP award.
Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC)
He won the Golden Boot as the league's top scorer with 23 goals, including ten in his last nine games. Nominated for the MVP award, he also finished with 11 assists and has had a hand in 65 percent of Nashville's 52 goals.
Previous meetings
Los Angeles won the first meeting against Nashville this season by a 1-0 scoreline with Dejan Joveljic finding the back of the net with five minutes remaining.
A little over a month ago, the two teams played out a 1-1 draw with both goals coming from the penalty spot.
MVP candidate Hany Mukhtar gave Nashville the lead in the 29th minute, beating Jonathan Bond, but Riqui Puig equalized nine minutes into second-half stoppage time after the Galaxy were awarded a penalty through VAR.
How to watch
The match will be televised nationally on Univision and TUDN. Kickoff is set for 3pm Eastern time.