UPDATE: After eight minutes of play at Clarke Stadium, officials have postponed proceedings due to lightning strikes. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

⏰ 8'

Lightning is in the area. The match is delayed yet again.

Thanks a lot, nature. #ForValour | #CanPL

— ValourFC (@ValourFootball) July 18, 2019

Canadian Premier League — Match #44
FC Edmonton vs. Valour FC
July 17, 2019 — Clarke Field (7 p.m. MT/9 p.m. ET)
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca

Smarting from a weekend loss, FC Edmonton returns home this week to take on a familiar foe in Valour FC, who will begin their Fall CPL campaign after watching from afar the past two matchdays.

The Eddies are now 1-1-0 in the Fall after falling 2-1 last Sunday to York9 FC in a fairly close-fought contest. Their lone win came the week before, as they showed resolve in dispatching Forge FC at Tim Hortons Field (despite conceding the majority of possession and chances). FCE had a four-game winning streak broken in their last match, so head coach Jeff Paulus would certainly like to see them continue playing the well-rounded football they’ve displayed in recent victories.

Across the pitch from FC Edmonton, Valour comes to Alberta as the most rested team in the CPL. They haven’t played since a 3-1 loss to York9 at home on Canada Day, which is probably for the best since that was their sixth-straight defeat across all competitions. Rob Gale’s side has had 17 days off, which they’ll have used to try and put their calamitous end to the Spring season behind them.

Valour will be back in CPL action next weekend, as they head out to Hamilton for a battle with Forge FC on Saturday, July 20 (3:30 p.m. ET, on OneSoccer). The Eddies have a nice 10-day gap between games, as their next test comes on July 27 at home — also against Forge (6:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. MT, on OneSoccer).

KEYS TO THE MATCH

• Start on time: It’s been a while since Valour last hit the pitch. Every other CPL side has two Fall games under their belt, so Gale won’t want his squad wasting any time in starting to catch up (especially with their poor form to close out the Spring). Fortunately, Valour has scored in the first half in three of their last four games — twice in the first minute, actually. Yes, they need to work on turning good starts into wins, but hitting the ground running is vitally important after such a long break.
• Take your chances: Recently, it seems like all of FC Edmonton’s goals have come out of the blue; a fast break, a set-piece, or a moment of individual brilliance. They haven’t shown much of an aptitude for dominating possession or slowly wearing down defences, but they may not need that — against Valour more than anybody, maybe. Rob Gale’s side loves to play with the ball, but they’ve struggled to turn possession into goals, so those fortuitous moments may be what FCE should look for.
• Make it work centrally: Unfortunately for Valour, midfielder Louis Béland-Goyette will be unavailable for this game, after playing in all 10 Spring season matches. He’s suspended after picking up four yellow cards, so Gale will have to find a way to manage without his lynchpin in the centre of the park. Raphael Ohin has been a revelation as Béland-Goyette’s partner recently, so his presence softens the blow a bit, but it may be harder for Valour to control the middle, or win back possession. We might see recent signing José Galán in that role, too.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

FC Edmonton: Connor James; Allan Zebie, Mélé Temguia, Amer Didic, Jeannot Esua; James Marcelin, Ramon Soria; Bruno Zebie, Oumar Diouck, Marcus Velado-Tsegaye; Tomi Ameobi

Valour FC: Tyson Farago; Martin Arguinarena, Skylar Thomas, Adam Mitter, Jordan Murrell; Raphael Ohin, Diego Gutierrez, Dylan Sacramento; Dylan Carreiro, Tyler Attardo, Marco Bustos

HEAD TO HEAD

May 4 – Valour FC 1-2 FC Edmonton
June 2 – FC Edmonton 0-1 Valour FC

STATS LEADERS

Oumar Diouck – 4 goals (FC Edmonton)
Tyler Attardo – 2 goals (Valour FC)

INJURIES

 Son Yongchan (FC Edmonton) – Injury (6 weeks)
Amer Didic (FC Edmonton) – Day-to-day
Josip Golubar (Valour FC) – Out (ACL)
Michael Petrasso (Valour FC) – Out
Ali Musse (Valour FC) – Out

INTERNATIONAL DUTY

None

SUSPENSIONS

Louis Béland-Goyette (Valour FC) – Yellow Card Accumulation

ACCUMULATION
(Players are suspended for one match 14 days after accumulating a 4th Yellow Card)

Jordan Murrell (Valour FC) – 3

REFEREES

Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere
ARs: Jasmain Parr & Graham Forsyth
4th Official: David Gantar

FANTASY PREDICTOR
Download the Centre Circle app to play predictor ahead of each match. 

Q: Will a goal be scored in the 1st half?

A: Teams, recently, have had slow starts out of the gate when it comes to offensive production. With a midweek matchup and tired legs, don’t be surprised to see this trend continue.

Q: Will a goal be scored from outside the box?

A: In the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen long-range efforts from the like of Ramon Soria, Victor Blasco and Issey Nakajima-Farran all hit the net. With the set-piece emerging as an effective way to score in the CPL, look for another outside the box attempt to find the net

Q: Which team will have more headed shots?

A: Ryan Telfer is 5’11, Marcus Haber is 6’4. Height matters when you need to use your head.

Follow FC Edmonton’s matchday playlist on Spotify.