Sporting Kansas City play host to FC Dallas on Saturday night with just two points separating the two teams in the Western Conference table.
The home side have improved as the season has progressed, recently going four matches without defeat before losing to Los Angeles FC last time out.
As a result, Kerry Zavagnin's side remain two points adrift of the visitors, who have played a game fewer and sit in 11th position.
That is despite a six-game winless streak in MLS, not winning in the division since a dramatic 4-3 victory away at Inter Miami on April 27.
How the bookies see it: Sporting KC backed to move ahead of Dallas
Despite trailing their next opponents by a narrow margin, BoyleSports have Sporting KC as the 10/11 favourites to come through this game with three points on the board.
The visitors are as high as 23/10, betting odds that may prove attractive, as will the draw at 13/5.
Head to head: An even historical match-up
In 48 previous games between these two teams, both Sporting KC and FC Dallas have recorded 19 victories apiece.
There is also just a difference of six goals, Sporting KC edging that statistic by 85 strikes to 79.
The only draw in recent times came in a US Open Cup fixture, Sporting eventually prevailing on penalties, but it is Dallas who have won the last two fixtures by 2-1 scorelines.
Remarkably, neither of these clubs have kept a clean sheet against the other across the last 10 matches in all competitions.
Players to watch: Sporting KC star brings the obvious threat
With 10 goals from 16 MLS appearances this season, Dejan Joveljic is the clear star man for Sporting KC.
Five of those strikes have come in the last four games, the Serbian netting in each of them, while Daniel Salloi also brings five goals and three assists to the table.
By comparison, Dallas' goalscorers have been more evenly spread out, Anderson Julio and Petar Musa having four strikes apiece.
These two teams possess the second and fourth worst defensive records in the Western Conference, ensuring that none of their players at the back should be deemed noteworthy heading into this contest.
Predicted lineups: Double suspension issue for visitors
Dallas face issues in the centre of their defence with each of Lalas Aboubakar and Sebastien Ibeagha serving suspensions.
Aboubakar was dismissed for two yellow cards against Philadelphia Union, while Ibeagha collected his third MLS caution of the season.
In a rejig to the backline, Osaze Urhoghide could return from injury and Marco Farfan move from left-back to centre-back, allowing Nolan Norris to be recalled.
Meanwhile, Jake Davis is most likely to return for Sporting Kansas City, taking the spot of Memo Rodriguez in midfield.
Sporting Kansas City: Pulskamp; Shelton, Miller, Fernandez, Ndenbe; Bartlett, Davis; Suleymanov, Garcia, Salloi; Joveljic
FC Dallas: Paes; Moore, Urhoghide, Farfan, Norris; Delgado, Ramiro; Julio, Acosta, Kaick; Musa
Anything else catch the eye?
Dallas sit at the bottom of the Western Conference form table, yet they have recorded the same amount of the draws across that period (three in six games) as their next opponents.
At the same time as Sporting Kansas have scored 11 goals in six home games, Dallas have conceded as many as 13 times.
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