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• Houston Dynamo v St. Louis City: Carnell eager to get going after extended break

  Bradley Carnell is eager to get going again when St. Louis City return to MLS action against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, two weeks on from their last game.

  St. Louis were last in action on April 21, when Tomas Totland's last-gasp equaliser saw them claim a 3-3 draw against rivals Sporting Kansas City.

  Carnell's team have only lost one of their last eight MLS games, though five of those have finished level to leave them ninth in the Western Conference standings, one point behind the Dynamo.

  Speaking about the challenges of their long wait for a game, Carnell said: "The week off was nice, it gave us some time to plan and prep for the next few weeks and where we're going.

  "There's going to be a ton of games so it's really important for us to do that. We can't change the calendar and it is what it is.

  "We're excited about the games coming up, there's a lot of good teams among our opponents in the next couple of weeks."

  Houston, meanwhile, have lost three of their last four league games including each of their last two, both of which came against Texas rivals in Austin FC (0-1) and FC Dallas (0-2).

  Despite their downturn, boss Ben Olsen is choosing to remain upbeat and is certain things will turn, saying: "I can take a loss and I will say the guys gave everything, they continue to fight. 

  "We'll get back to work and try to make the fans proud next week.

  "We prepare for St. Louis the same way we prepared for Dallas. We'll just get back to work and keep going. 

  "It's very early in the season. The last two games didn't go the way we want so we have to learn from it."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Houston Dynamo – Ibrahim Aliyu

  Aliyu is the only Houston player with more than one goal to his name in MLS this year, netting three times. However, he has failed to score in their last three games, so he will be desperate to end that mini-drought here.

  St. Louis City – Joao Klauss

  Klauss is St. Louis' joint-leading scorer this season, his three goals only matched by Celio Pompeu after both players were on target against Sporting KC last time out.

  The Brazilian has attempted a team-high 29 shots this term as well as creating 12 chances for team-mates, a tally only bettered by Pompeu (17).

  MATCH PREDICTION – HOUSTON DYNAMO WIN

  The Dynamo's first victory over St. Louis came in the second leg of this year's CONCACAF Champions Cup first round, a 1-0 home win that saw Houston into the round of 16. 

  St. Louis had previously gone unbeaten in the first three meetings between the teams (two wins, one draw), including winning both matches in Missouri.

  After winning their first three away matches in club history last year, St. Louis have only managed three wins in 22 road trips (six draws, 13 defeats). Houston, meanwhile, have won two of their last three at Shell Energy Stadium so enter Saturday's game as favourites.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY 

  Houston Dynamo – 42%

  St. Louis City – 29.7%

  Draw – 28.3%

• Chicago Fire v New England Revolution: Acosta says composure key for misfiring hosts

  Kellyn Acosta says the Chicago Fire need to be more precise with their ball progression if they are to end their barren run and begin to climb the MLS standings.

  Frank Klopas' team sit 12th in the Eastern Conference and have failed to win – or even find the net – in three matches ahead of Saturday's clash with the New England Revolution. 

  Chicago scored nine goals in their first five MLS matches in 2024 but have since netted two in their last five, and midfielder Acosta says composure is the key to improving their attacking output.

  "It's a combination of moving the ball back to front and finding our forwards," Acosta said. 

  "I feel like we've got to get them the ball in dangerous areas where they are bringing out their qualities, and I think we have not done a good job of progressing the ball to them."

  The Revs, meanwhile, sit bottom of the East with just four points through their first nine matches under Caleb Porter, being thrashed 4-1 by a Lionel Messi-inspired Inter Miami side last time out.

  Nacho Gil has joined several other New England players on a lengthy injury list, and Porter says the team must be cautious as they navigate a route through a testing spell. 

  "If we're good with our planning… you can't avoid some injuries, but with soft tissue injuries, you can avoid a mistake," Porter said. 

  "The medical staff, the sports science staff, they'll have a plan to reintegrate these guys where they can hit the ground running."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH 

  Chicago Fire – Brian Gutierrez

  The Fire failed to record a shot on target in last week's goalless draw at home to Atlanta United, the third time they have done so since the start of the 2022 campaign. No other team has done so more than once in that time.

  Gutierrez was limited to the role of substitute for that game, but as Chicago's leading scorer with three league goals this year, he will surely come in to start this one.

  New England Revolution – Carles Gil

  Carles Gil leads all Revs players for goals (three) and chances created (27) so far this season. None of his team-mates have laid on more than 11 chances this term (Tomas Chancalay). 

  MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

  New England are winless in 17 MLS away matches (five draws, 12 defeats, including playoffs), in a run dating back to May 2023. Their longest ever winless run on the road in MLS is 18 matches between September 2016 to September 2017.

  However, they may fancy their chances of taking something from Saturday's match, with Chicago only having two wins through their first 10 games of the season.

  This is the sixth straight season in which they have failed to win at least three of their first 10 games of an MLS campaign. No other team in MLS history has done so in more than three straight years.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Chicago Fire – 37.7%

  New England Revolution – 33.4%

  Draw – 28.9%

• Klopp says Salah spat a 'non-story', does not expect forward to push for move

  Jurgen Klopp says his bust-up with Mohamed Salah has been resolved and does not believe the Liverpool forward will push to follow him through the exit door at the end of the season.

  Klopp and Salah became embroiled in a heated confrontation on the sidelines during Liverpool's 2-2 draw with West Ham last week, as the out-of-form Egyptian waited to come on as a substitute.

  The Reds boss played down the incident in his post-match press conference but Salah did the opposite in the mixed zone, telling reporters: "If I speak, there will be fire."

  However, Klopp reiterated on Friday that he considers the matter closed, saying: "It is completely resolved. It is no problem.  

  "If we didn't know each other for that long I don't know how we would deal with it, but we've known each other for that long and we respect each other. 

  "I think we have the right to deal with these things completely independent of any expectations from the outside. It is a non-story. In general, everyone is in the best possible place.

  "If we win the games and score loads of goals, then the situation would not have been exactly like that because Mo would not have been on the bench in the first place."

  Last week's incident led to renewed speculation regarding Salah's future at Anfield, with the Egyptian preparing to enter the final 12 months of his contract with the Reds.

  Salah, who was the subject of a £150million bid from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad last year, has scored 17 Premier League goals this season but only three of those have come since New Year's Day.

  Before going to the Africa Cup of Nations – where he suffered a hamstring injury – Salah boasted a shot conversion rate of 21.54 per cent in the Premier League for 2023-24, netting with 14 of his 65 attempts. Since returning, he has only converted three of 35 (8.57 per cent).

  While Salah's long-term future is none of Klopp's concern, he does not see any signs of the Egypt star pushing for a move.

  "You all have to get used to the fact that is not my subject," Klopp added. "Mo, as a player, is incredible and I don't think I should speak about that. Other people will decide that, especially Mo.

  "I don't have any signs it will be like that. I just try to prepare the basis for the future."

  Liverpool host Tottenham on Sunday, with the Premier League title now surely beyond them as they trail Arsenal by five points and Manchester City – who have a game in hand – by four.