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Sports Mole previews Sunday's Major League Soccer clash between Minnesota United and San Jose Earthquakes, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Two sides in a heated race for a playoff spot square off on Saturday evening as Minnesota United play host to San Jose Earthquakes at Allianz Field.

With just three matches left in the regular season, the Earthquakes are currently eighth in the Western Conference standings, four points and three places above this weekend's hosts.

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Match preview

Minnesota United's quest for post-season football suffered a fresh blow last Sunday as they suffered a 2-1 defeat against title-chasing St Louis City.

It was a tale of two halves at Allianz Field as Joao Klauss and Njabulo Blom scored in a nine-minute spell to cancel out Teemu Pukki's 48th-minute penalty and turn the game around.

Adrian Heath's men have now gone five consecutive games without a win, picking up two draws and losing each of their last three matches since claiming a 3-0 victory over Colorado Rapids on August 31.

This drop-off in form has seen Minnesota United's playoff dreams come under threat as they have dropped to 11th in the Western Conference table, three points off the second playoff qualifier spot.

Like this weekend's hosts, San Jose Earthquakes continue to struggle for results at the business end of the season as they could only salvage a 1-1 draw against Nashville last time out.

Following a goalless first half at PayPal Park, veteran striker Teal Bunbury put Nashville ahead five minutes into the second period but Matthew Hoppe restored parity in the 74th minute to force a share of the spoils.

Luchi Gonzalez's men have now failed to win six of their last seven league outings — losing three and picking up three draws — with a 2-1 home victory over Real Salt Lake on September 17 being the exception.

With 41 points from 31 matches, San Jose Earthquakes are currently eighth in the Western Conference standings but could potentially rise into fourth place with all three points this weekend.

Next up for the Quakes is an opposing side who have failed to win any of their last three meetings across all competitions, losing twice and picking up one draw since a 1-0 victory in March 2022.

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Team News

Minnesota United will take to the pitch without 30-year-old midfielder Robin Lod, who has been out of action since picking up a meniscus problem in May's game against Houston Dynamo.

He is joined on the club's injury table by American defender Ryen Jiba, who is yet to feature this year as he continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines through a knee problem.

Having missed Sunday's game against St Louis City through a one-game suspension, Ethan Bristow is back eligible for selection and the full-back could return to the fold this weekend.

Meanwhile, Nathan Cardoso has been out of action since October due to an ACL injury and the Brazilian defender is out of contention for San Jose Earthquakes.

American midfielder Jack Skahan will also play no part in Saturday's matchup having missed each of the Quakes' last six matches after picking up a muscle problem back in August.

Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
Clair; Taylor, Boxall, Tapias, Rosales; Gregus, Trapp; Hlongwane, Reynoso, Dotson; Pukki

San Jose Earthquakes possible starting lineup:
Daniel; Akapo, Rodrigues, Beason, Trauco; Yueill, Gruezo, Espinoza; Monteiro, Cowell, Ebobisse

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We say: Minnesota United 1-1 San Jose Earthquakes

With just three points separating Minnesota United and San Jose, we anticipate an action-packed contest at Allianz Field as both sides look to strengthen their stake for a playoff spot. Given the stakes of the game, we predict that both sides will take a cautious approach to this one and settle for a share of the spoils.

How to watch

You can watch Minnesota United vs. San Jose Earthquakes and every MLS match this season live on Apple TV. Click here for more details on how to subscribe.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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