Revolution vs. Orlando City SC: Preview, Projected Lineups and How to Watch

Fresh off a pair of one-goal losses, the Revolution need 21 points from its final nine matches to make a serious playoff push, according to math by goalkeeper Cody Cropper. To get started, the Revs must defeat an Orlando City side that hasn’t won since June. Here’s what to expect from the matchup:

Current Form

New England: W-L-W-L-L
Orlando City: D-L-L-D-L

Chances to Win

The Revs represent the biggest weekend favorite in MLS with a 58 percent chance of winning, per FiveThirtyEight. Orlando City holds a modest 19 percent chance of earning a full three points.

Stat that Matters Most

-12

That’s Orlando’s goal differential through 26 matches this season. The attack has underachieved most for the Lions, scoring just one goal per match, third lowest in MLS.

Club Leaders

Not much has changed on the Revolution leaderboard in recent weeks. Lee Nguyen, Kei Kamara and Juan Agudelo still rank first on the club with eight goals each, though only Kamara found the net in August. Nguyen’s last goal arrived on July 22; Agudelo’s came on July 29. Defensively, Antonio Delamea leads the team with 55 interceptions.

For Orlando City, Cyle Larin has done most of the attacking dirty work. He leads the Lions with 10 goals, more than twice as many as Carlos Rivas, the second-highest scorer on the team. Brazilian midfielder Kaka has served as the creative engine when healthy; he’s currently creating 1.6 chances per match.

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

How to Watch

Kick-off time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.
TV Broadcast: CSN-NE (New England); TV 27 (Orlando)
Streaming: MLS Live
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub (New England)

Injuries and Absences

After a period of good health, the Revolution injury report has filled back up again. Kelyn Rowe remains sidelined with a knee injury, while Diego Fagundez (quad) and Nguyen (hamstring) have dealt with knocks all week. Krisztian Nemeth (calf) remains questionable to make his season debut. Delamea and Je-Vaughn Watson will not play while away on international duty.

Orlando City will enter Saturday’s match with at least six absentees. Goalkeeper Josh Saunders is out for the season with a neck injury; he joins midfielder Cristian Higuita (suspension), forward Cyle Larin (international duty), midfielder Yoshimar Yotun (international duty), defender Jonathan Spector (knee) and midfielder Will Johnson (ankle) on the list of players who won’t appear in Saturday’s match.

Projected Lineups

New England: Cody Cropper; Chris Tierney, Claude Dielna, Benjamin Angoua, Andrew Farrell; Xavier Kouassi, Gershon Koffie; Diego Fagundez, Lee Nguyen, Teal Bunbury; Kei Kamara

Orlando City: Joe Bendik; Scott Sutter, Tommy Redding, Leonardo Pereira, Donny Toia; Giles Barnes, Antonio Nocerino, Servando Carrasco; Dom Dwyer, Kaká, Carlos Rivas