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AVANT-MATCH FINALE: LES HERBIERS vs PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

LAFC vs. Minnesota United FC | 2018 MLS Match Preview

LAFC vs. Minnesota United FC
2018 MLS Regular Season – Week 11
Banc of California Stadium — Los Angeles
May 9 - 10 pm ET
WATCH: ESPN+, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)

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LAFC look to remain undefeated in their third game of a four-game homestand to open Banc of California Stadium following a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas on Saturday afternoon, while Minnesota United FC have won back-to-back games for a second time this season after defeating Vancouver, 1-0.

• Nguyen's LAFC debut: Chances created, points left
• Instant Analysis: RBNY dominate, Sounders struggle
• Anatomy of a deal: How the Nguyen trade went down
• "Terrific" Quintero already key for Minnesota
• Heath: "Every player put themselves on the line"

LAFC

Bob Bradley made two changes to his side that defeated the Seattle Sounders FC in the Banc of California Stadium opener the prior week, bringing on 20-year-old Colombian Eduard Atuestafor his first start and Latif Blessing came on for Omar Gaber as Diego Rossi played as the lone striker with Marco Urena out injured.

Steven Beitashour gave LAFC (5-2-1) a deserved lead on nine minutes, but Maxi Urruti leveled for FC Dallas in the 55th minute. Lee Nguyen made his LAFC debut off the substitute’s bench for the final 17 minutes.

“You score more by being a little bit sharper. We had opportunities where you choose to play the ball hard across the six, you try to develop ideas that can become habits and then they happen so natural,” Bradley said after the game. “Every time I speak about Barcelona, it’s like PlayStation. All these things happen so fast and they are easy. You try to work to be sharper every day.”  

• Suspended: None
• Suspended after next caution: None
• International duty: None
• Injury Report: OUT: GK - Luis Lopez (right tibial stress fracture), F - Marco Urena (facial surgery)

Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Tyler Miller — Steven Beitashour, Walker Zimmerman, Laurent Ciman, Jordan Harvey — Eduard Atuesta, Benny Feilhaber — Omar Gaber, Marc-Anthony Kaye, Carlos Vela — Diego Rossi

Minnesota United FC

Adrian Heath made three changes to the side that defeated the Houston Dynamo the previous week with Eric Miller replacing Carter Manley at outside back, Alexi Gomez starting and rookie Mason Toye earning his first start for an injured Christian Ramirez up top.

Miguel Ibarra scored the lone goal in the 60th minute, 10 minutes after Toye was sent off on a straight red card for violent conduct, forcing the Loons (4-5-0) to play the final 40 minutes with 10 men.

Bobby Shuttleworth made sure the result held up with a few massive saves to help Minnesota earn their first clean sheet of the season.

“I thought it was a monumental effort considering how long we played a man down, but the team that we played, they’re the biggest team probably in the league,” Heath said after the match. “I thought the players, every single one of them, put themselves on the line so many times with crosses that were coming in the box. … Overall, incredibly proud of the players. It was a really big result for us.”

• Suspended: F - Mason Toye
• Suspended after next caution: None
• International duty: None
• Injury Report: OUT: M - Sam Cronin (cervicogenic dysfunction), M - Kevin Molino (torn left ACL), D - Tyrone Mears (right leg injury), M - Ethan Finlay (torn ACL), D - Marc Burch (left knee); QUESTIONABLE: F - Abu Danladi (right ankle), D - Eric Miller (leg), F - Christian Ramirez (hamstring)

Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Bobby Shuttleworth — Eric Miller, Francisco Calvo, Michael Boxall, Jerome Thiesson — Ibson, Rasmus Schuller — Sam Nicholson, Darwin Quintero, Miguel Ibarra — Christian Ramirez

All-Time Series

• This is the first all-time meeting between LAFC and Minnesota United FC

Officials

Referee: Silviu Petrescu
Assistant Referees: Kyle Atkins, Logan Brown
4th Official: Alejandro Mariscal
VAR: Allen Chapman

Chicago Fire vs. Montreal Impact | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Chicago Fire vs. Montreal Impact
2018 MLS Regular Season – Week 11
Toyota Park — Bridgeview
May 9 - 8:30 pm ET
WATCH: TVAS, ESPN+

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It is a midweek clash between two teams look to move closer to the playoff line in the Eastern Conference.

After positive results on the road against the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC, the Chicago Fire returned home, but suffered a 2-1 defeat to Atlanta United, while the Montreal Impactsnapped a four-match losing streak with an emphatic 4-2 home win over the New England Revolution Saturday.

• Impact duo step up after Garde challenge
• WATCH: Piatti destroys Revs in 100th MLS match
• WATCH: Veljko Paunovic postmatch press conference 

Chicago Fire   

After seeing success with Bastian Schweinsteiger as a sweeper, Veljko Paunovic moved the German icon up the field to play behind forwards Nemanja Nikolic and Aleksandar Katai in an altered 4-1-2-1-2 formation with an unchanged XI from a 2-2 draw against TFC a week prior.

Chicago (2-4-2) fell into a two-goal hole as Ezequiel Barco and Josef Martinez scored four minutes apart early in the second half. Kevin Ellis pulled the Fire within a goal with an impressive lob in the 61st minute, but there wouldn’t be any late-game equalizing dramatics this time around.

“I’m proud of the effort of our team, our guys,” Paunovic said after the game. “I think we played the mature game, I think we played the game against a very good team. I think we did a huge effort in the first half, we were the better team and we also had a good second half, except the two details that decided the game.”

• Suspended: None
• Suspended after next caution: None
• International duty: None
• Injury Report: OUT: M - Djordje Mihailovic (right ACL surgery), F - Michael de Leeuw (left ACL surgery), D - Matt Polster (MCL sprain), F - Luis Solignac (left quad), M - Jon Bakero (right ankle), GK - Stefan Cleveland (low back pain); QUESTIONABLE: M - Drew Conner (right gastric injury), D - Rafael Ramos (left ankle)

Projected Starting XI
(4-1-2-1-2, right to left)
GK: Richard Sanchez — Kevin Ellis, Johan Kappelhof, Grant Lillard, Brandon Vincent — Dax McCarty — Mo Adams, Elliott Collier — Bastian Schweinsteiger — Nemanja Nikolic, Aleksandar Katai

Montreal Impact

Remi Garde made three changes from the team that fell 4-1 to Atlanta the week prior, with Victor Cabrera replacing Rudy Camacho in central defense and Raheem Edwards and Anthony Jackson-Hamel part of a three-man forward line, moving Ken Krolicki and Jeisson Vargas to the bench.

Jackson-Hamel scored the first of back-to-back goals in first-half stoppage time and put his team ahead 2-0 six minutes into the second half. Edwards and Ignacio Piatti scored three minutes apart to extend the lead to 4-0 before Wilfried Zahibo netted a late brace for the Revs.

It was a measure of revenge for the Impact (3-6-0), who were reduced to 10 men early and suffered a 4-0 defeat at Gillette Stadium last month.

“I like that we score goals, of course. The way we did it was very interesting,” Garde said after the match. “I told the guys at halftime we wanted to win the second half because we have been in good position in recent weeks without any positive conclusion.”

• Suspended: None
• Suspended after next caution: None
• International duty: None
• Injury Report: OUT: D - Zakaria Diallo (ruptured Achilles tendon), D - Kyle Fisher (tibia), M - Marco Donadel (gluteal muscle injury), M - David Choiniere (ankle surgery); QUESTIONABLE: D - Rod Fanni (thigh)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-3, right to left)
GK: Evan Bush — Chris Duvall, Victor Cabrera, Jukka Raitala, Daniel Lovitz — Alejandro Silva, Samuel Piette, Saphir Taider — Raheem Edwards, Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Ignacio Piatti

All-Time Series

• Overall: Chicago Fire 5 wins, 23 goals .. Montreal Impact 6 wins, 22 goals … 5 draws
• At Chicago: Fire 3 wins, 13 goals … Impact 1 win, 8 goals … 3 draws
• Last meeting at Chicago: Chicago Fire 2, Montreal Impact 2 (April 1, 2017)

Officials

Referee: Sorin Stoica
Assistant Referees: Andrew Bigelow, Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho
4th Official: Fotis Bazakos
VAR: Hilario Grajeda

Cheerleaders USA

Lukas Klünter wechselt vom 1. FC Köln zu Hertha BSC

Foto: Lukas Klünter/Imago/Deutzmann

Während Timo Horn oder Jonas Hector mit dem 1. FC Köln in die 2. Bundesliga gehen, ist dies bei Lukas Klünter nicht der Fall. Denn der 21 Jahre alte Außenbahnspieler wird im Sommer einen Vereinswechsel vollziehen. Nach Javairo Dilrosun ist Klünter nämlich die zweite Neuverpflichtung des Bundesligisten Hertha BSC. Der gebürtige Euskirchner unterschrieb beim Hauptstadtclub einen langfristigen Kontrakt.

Lukas Klünter ab Sommer bei Hertha BSC

Über die genaue Laufzeit des Vertrages machte Hertha BSC am Montag keine Angaben. Auch über die Ablösesumme wurde nichts bekannt. Klünter besaß beim FC noch einen Vertrag bis zum Sommer 2020. Michael Preetz, Geschäftsführer Sport von Hertha, sagte zu dem Wechsel:

„Wir sind sehr froh, dass sich Lukas für uns entschieden hat. Er möchte bei uns den nächsten Schritt gehen und sich als Bundesliga-Spieler etablieren. Wir sind überzeugt davon, dass er dem Team mit seinen Qualitäten – vor allem mit seinem Tempo – helfen wird. Natürlich ist es obendrein ein gutes Zeichen, dass ein weiterer junger deutscher Spieler mit großem Potenzial zu uns wechselt.“

Klünter selbst fügte hinzu:

„Ich sehe den Wechsel nach Berlin als große Chance an, mich persönlich weiterzuentwickeln. Ich will meine ganze Kraft in die neue Aufgabe legen und mein Potenzial ausschöpfen.“

Lukas Klünter mit 33 Pflichtspielen für die FC-Profis

Lukas Klünter wurde im Mai 1996 in Engelskirchen geboren. Im Alter von 18 Jahren wechselte er in die U19 des 1. FC Köln. Über diese Auswahl sowie die U23 der Geißböcke schaffte der gelernte Rechtsverteidiger im Jahr 2016 den Sprung zu den Profis beim FC. Unter Peter Stöger gab er im April 2016 sein Debüt in der Fußball-Bundesliga beim 1:1 bei der TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Bisher kommt Lukas Klünter auf insgesamt 33 Pflichtspiele für den 1. FC Köln. Unter anderem war er auch drei Mal in der UEFA Europa League im Einsatz. Von der U19 an kam der Rechtsverteidiger auch in allen Junioren-Auswahlmannschaften des DFB zum Einsatz. Bislang trug er elf Mal das Trikot Deutschlands in Nachwuchsmannschaften. So wurde er auch im vergangenen Sommer Europameister mit der U21 – gemeinsam mit den Herthanern Niklas Stark, Mitchell Weiser und Davie Selke.

Swansea City v Southampton preview: Carlos Carvalhal hoping home comforts will aid the Swans

Swansea host Southampton in a crucial relegation clash in the Premier League on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports.

Carlos Carvalhal has urged his Swansea City players to show a reaction in their vital Premier League clash with Southampton on Tuesday night.

The Swans' poorly timed slump continued on Saturday when they went a seventh league game in a row without win - going down 1-0 at Bournemouth - with results elsewhere seeing them slip back into the bottom three.

They can still save themselves by winning their final two home games, against Southampton and then Stoke, but defeat against the Saints would mean they can only stay up on goal difference.

The mood in the camp was low after the Vitality Stadium defeat, but the Portuguese wants his side to come out firing.

"After a game that we lose, everyone is sad of course," he said. "But tomorrow is another day and we will react and Tuesday, we must be at the top.

"This is the main point. And they know about that. They know they must react very fast.

Swansea can take solace from their impressive home form where they have only been beaten by Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in the league since Carvalhal came in at the end of 2017, with Spurs also winning in the FA Cup.

Carvalhal: They deserved the victory

Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal says they put in a lot oeffort against Bournemouth but the home side deserved the win.

Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal says they put in a lot effort against Bournemouth but the home side deserved the win

"Since we arrive, all the games we play at home, we perform really well," he added.

"All of them. Possibly the cup game against Tottenham was the game that was hard for us. All the others, we dominated and were better than our opponents.

"Even Chelsea, if you saw the game you can see we dominated the game and we could achieve much more. I don't have any reason to doubt we can do it on Tuesday.

"My players will give the maximum, the fans will give the maximum, and when we play in Liberty, usually, we are a strong team, and it is our (plan) to be a strong team on Tuesday."

Meanwhile, Southampton boss Mark Hughes thinks Nathan Redmond could be returning to his "natural" best at just the right time.

Redmond came off the bench to head Saints into a 1-0 lead at Everton on Saturday, only for the visitors to leak a late goal to leave Goodison Park with a frustrating draw.

The mood in the camp was low after the Vitality Stadium defeat, but the Portuguese wants his side to come out firing.

"After a game that we lose, everyone is sad of course," he said. "But tomorrow is another day and we will react and Tuesday, we must be at the top.

"This is the main point. And they know about that. They know they must react very fast.

Swansea can take solace from their impressive home form where they have only been beaten by Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in the league since Carvalhal came in at the end of 2017, with Spurs also winning in the FA Cup.

Carvalhal: They deserved the victory

Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal says they put in a lot oeffort against Bournemouth but the home side deserved the win.

Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal says they put in a lot effort against Bournemouth but the home side deserved the win

"Since we arrive, all the games we play at home, we perform really well," he added.

"All of them. Possibly the cup game against Tottenham was the game that was hard for us. All the others, we dominated and were better than our opponents.

"Even Chelsea, if you saw the game you can see we dominated the game and we could achieve much more. I don't have any reason to doubt we can do it on Tuesday.

"My players will give the maximum, the fans will give the maximum, and when we play in Liberty, usually, we are a strong team, and it is our (plan) to be a strong team on Tuesday."

Meanwhile, Southampton boss Mark Hughes thinks Nathan Redmond could be returning to his "natural" best at just the right time.

Redmond came off the bench to head Saints into a 1-0 lead at Everton on Saturday, only for the visitors to leak a late goal to leave Goodison Park with a frustrating draw.

Saints must do without Maya Yoshida for their trip to South Wales, with the Japan defender suspended after his red card at Everton.

And midfielder Mario Lemina could miss out too after picking up a hamstring problem on Merseyside, while Steven Davis continues to battle Achilles trouble.

Opta stats

Swansea have won just two of their 11 previous Premier League meetings with Southampton (D3 L6), failing to score in seven of those games.

The Saints have lost just one of their five Premier League visits to Liberty Stadium (W3 D1), keeping four clean sheets - however, that one defeat was in their last visit last season.

Only Stoke (13) are on a longer winless run in the Premier League than Swansea (D3 L4).

Only West Brom (26) have dropped more points from winning positions than Southampton in the Premier League this season (21) - eight of those 21 have been in Mark Hughes' six games in charge.

Swansea have failed to score in seven different Premier League home games this season - no side has failed to do so in more (level with Huddersfield and Newcastle).

The Swans are starting a Premier League match in the relegation zone for the first time since March 3rd - they beat West Ham 4-1 in that match.

Merson's prediction

This is a cup final and as big as a Championship play-off final game - whoever wins, you would have to say is safe. Huddersfield will be sweating on Swansea winning this game as they have Stoke at home in their final game, while Southampton have Man City at home.

Swansea have gone off the boil a bit though and they have tried to stick a few times - when you get these free swings, you are better off just going for it and gambling, instead of just playing to nick a draw.

But at the end of the day, Swansea could win this game and stay up because of their goal difference, with them having not been smashed by other teams, so it is a bit of a catch-22.

The game they will be kicking themselves about is Everton at home, which they dominated and they were by far the better team.

'Saints must continue to step up'

Southampton manager Mark Hughes believes their rivals for Premier League safety might be looking over their shoulders.

Southampton manager Mark Hughes believes their rivals for Premier League safety might be looking over their shoulders

If Southampton draw, they are out of it, but Swansea have two home games now. However, Swansea are good at home and have decent players, and I think Southampton have to win - they will not want to go into the final match against one of the greatest Premier League teams of all time needing to win.

Southampton are playing well at the moment, they were good against Bournemouth, even though they were hanging on a bit at the end, and then they were unlucky against Everton.

However, I am going to go for Swansea to win - I am going to forget their last few results, which were hard fixtures, and say they will win at home. And if it is 1-1 with 20 minutes to go, I do not see all-out attack from Swansea as I think they will take their chance on beating Stoke at home.

PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1