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PREVIEW: FC Edmonton vs. Cavalry FC – Match #22

Canadian Premier League — Match #22
FC Edmonton vs. Cavalry FC
June 15, 2019 — Clarke Field (2:30 p.m. ET, 12:30 p.m. MT)
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca

Al Classico is back! This time it’s Cavalry FC who head north to take on their Alberta rivals, FC Edmonton, at Clarke Field in CPL action this Saturday.

The Eddies find themselves in a bit of a rut, having just fallen out of the Canadian Championship at the hands of York9 FC. Even worse, they’re on a four-game winless run in the CPL (three straight losses, too), and they haven’t scored in a league game since their opening-day win over Valour FC.

The visitors, on the other hand, are riding high. They’re still undefeated in all competitions, the only blemish being a 1-1 draw at Forge FC in Leg 1 of their CanChamp tie (which the Cavs won in Leg 2). As such, They remain atop the league table with a perfect 15 points. They’re only halfway through their Spring campaign with a lot of road games ahead, though, so an Al Classico win would go a long way.

Cavalry and Edmonton both play midweek CPL games after this one, on Wednesday, June 19. The Cavs stay on the road, heading out east to take on HFX Wanderers FC (6:00 p.m. ET, 7:00 p.m. AT, on OneSoccer). Meanwhile, FCE go down to Ontario for yet another meeting with York9 FC at York Lions Stadium (7:00 p.m. ET, on OneSoccer).

KEYS TO THE MATCH

  • Get the big guns firing: Seriously. Anything. Jeff Paulus and the Eddies have had heaps of trouble putting the ball in the back of the net, with two goals in five league matches and just two late ones in their CanChamp tie with York9. None of their scoring has come from the players expected to provide, either; Mélé Temguia and Oumar Diouck have a goal apiece in both competitions, while Randy Edwini-Bonsu and Tomi Ameobi have doughnuts on the scoresheet.
  • Stretch it out: One way that FC Edmonton could find that goal they desperately need is if they manage to open up the game a bit. Cavalry’s success has often come through their high-pressure style of play; if the Eddies manage to play their passes quickly and stretch the game out, they could threaten on the counter. As Forge FC showed, that might be the best way to beat Cavalry.
  • Feed the rivalry: The last meeting between these two sides was the first fixture in what could become a very tense rivalry. With 32 fouls in total, the first Al Classico was a physical affair, and this one should be no different. Both sides are used to that, each participating in an extremely heated CanChamp tie over the past week, so hostilities between the Alberta clubs will only grow on Saturday.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

FC Edmonton: Connor James; Bruno Zebie, Mélé Temguia, Kareem Moses, Jeannot Esua; Ramon Soria, James Marcelin; Randy Edwini-Bonsu, Philippe Lincourt-Joseph, Marcus Velado-Tsegaye; Oumar Diouck

Cavalry FC: Marco Carducci; Nathan Mavila, Mason Trafford, Dominick Zator, Dean Northover; Elijah Adekugbe, Julian Büscher, Sergio Camargo; Jose Escalante, Jordan Brown, Nico Pasquotti; Dominique Malonga


HEAD TO HEAD

May 18 – Cavalry FC 1-0 FC Edmonton

STATS LEADERS

Dominique Malonga, Jordan Brown (Cavalry FC) – 2 goals
Mélé Temguia, Oumar Diouck (FC Edmonton) – 1 goal

INJURIES

Allan Zebie (FC Edmonton) – Doubtful
Chris Serban (Cavalry FC) – Out (Knee)
Nik Ledgerwood (Cavalry FC) – Doubtful

INTERNATIONAL DUTY

None

SUSPENSIONS

None

ACCUMULATION

None

REFEREES

 Referee: Juan Marqeuz
Assistants: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt & Daniel Boudreau
4th Official: Michael Mund