Houston Dynamo vs Atlas
, KO: 01:00 Jul 28, 2024, Shell Energy Stadium
HOUSTON Dynamo and Atlas square off in their opening Group H fixture at the 2024 Leagues Cup. Both teams have shown some good form lately but Houston will fancy their chances in front of fans, with Atlas not particularly convincing on their travels.
Houston Dynamo head into Sunday’s clash off the back of a 4-3 victory at Vancouver Whitecaps in an MLS fixture last weekend. Griffin Dorsey netted a brace, including a late winner while Adalberto Carrasquilla and Brad Smith were also on target.
While the defending was a bit suspect, manager Ben Olsen will be pleased with the result as Houston Dynamo are now unbeaten in nine of their last 10 matches. They are also solid at home and are unbeaten in their last five matches at the Shell Energy Stadium.
Atlas are also coming off a victory as they triumphed 2-1 at Puebla in a Liga MX fixture last weekend. They raced to a two-goal lead in the first half thanks to a brace from Eduardo Aguirre and were able to hold on for the win despite conceding just after the restart.
That was only the third win in the last 17 matches across all competitions for Atlas, who have been a bit erratic in recent times. Benat San Jose’s men have also claimed just one win from their last 14 away matches, although that was the victory at Puebla.
How the bookies view it: Advantage Houston
Houston have the upper hand among bookies with a home win priced at evens with Betfred. A victory for Atlas is valued at 23/10 while a draw is also set at odds of 23/10 by Betfred.
Head to head: No previous meetings
This will be the first ever meeting between Houston Dynamo and Atlas.
Players to watch: Ferreira, Aliyu double blow
Sebastian Ferreira has caught the eye for Houston Dynamo in recent times and will be the one to watch on Sunday. The attacker has five goals this season and with Ibrahim Aliyu netting six times, both men could ensure the hosts score first at 7/10 with Betfred.
Eduardo Aguirre has made a fine start to the Liga MX this season, scoring three goals in four appearances for Atlas With support from Jhon Murillo and Jeremy Marquez, the visitors could be backed to score first at 13/10 with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Sebastian Ferreira was a second half substitute last time out and could earn a start on Sunday. Brad Smith could also feature from the start after come off the bench to score last time out while Griffin Dorsey should retain his place following his brace in Vancouver.
Eduardo Aguirre should lead the line once again for Atlas following his brace last time out. Adrian Mora is also expected to retain his place in the heart of the defence.
Houston Dynamo: Clark, Dorsey, Sviatchenko, Micael, Escobar, Carrasquilla, Herrera, Artur, Smith, Aliyu, Ferreira
Atlas: Vargas, Aguirre, Nervo, Mora, Dominguez, Rios, Rocha, Murillo, Marquez, Lozano, Aguirre
Anything else catch the eye?
Houston Dynamo served up a seven goal thriller in their previous fixture and a similar outcome could be considered. Over 4.5 goals is priced at 4/1 by Betfred, over 3.5 goals is valued at 7/4 while over 2.5 goals is set at odds of 8/11.
Having scored in both halves in their previous fixture, Houston Dynamo could be set for a similar pattern at 15/8 by Betfred.
This match between Houston Dynamo and Atlas will be played on Jul 28, 2024 and kick off at 01:00. Check below for our tipsters best Houston Dynamo vs Atlas prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
