Rafael Navarro looks to continue his scoring form against "Austin FC" as "Colorado Rapids" prepare to host their Western Conference rivals this weekend. The Brazilian forward, who netted the winner in their last encounter back in March, will be crucial to Rapids' chances of bouncing back from their recent defeat.
Both teams enter Saturday's fixture looking to recover from disappointing results. The Rapids fell 2-1 to "Portland Timbers" despite Djordje Mihailović's 33rd-minute strike, while "Austin FC" suffered a defeat against "San Diego FC" with late goals from Luca de la Torre and Milan Iloski.
"Colorado" has struggled in front of goal lately – just four strikes in their previous six outings tells the story. Not exactly what you'd call prolific, is it?
Interestingly, the head-to-head record favors the home side considerably. Rapids have claimed victory in three of their last six meetings, with Austin winning just once and two matches ending level. Their most recent clash on March 9th saw Navarro's 18th-minute goal decide a tight contest where Austin dominated possession (59%) but couldn't convert any of their 19 attempts.
Chris Armas, Rapids' head coach, is expected to deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation featuring Mihailovic in the creative role behind Navarro, while Austin will likely counter with a 4-4-2 system built around the strike partnership of Owen Wolff and Brandon Vazquez.
The visitors have been involved in notably low-scoring affairs recently, with their last six games averaging just two goals total. This pattern aligns perfectly with the historical scoring trend between these sides – 13 goals across their last six meetings translates to a modest 2.17 per game.
Can Austin's attack finally break through against a Rapids defense that has conceded eight times in their last six outings? Or will Navarro once again prove to be their nemesis? Saturday's clash should provide all the answers.
