After a shock result to begin the season, Atlanta United is back where it was expected to be.
Houston crushed Atlanta 4-0 on opening day but since then, the Five Stripes have rattled off a run of four wins and one draw.
That five-game streak has Atlanta in second place in the East as they head west for a marquee matchup against Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the LA Galaxy.
Ibrahimovic scored the only goal last weekend as LA grabbed its first road victory of 2018 in a 1-0 triumph at Chicago.
| Game | LA Galaxy vs. Atlanta United |
| Date | Saturday, April 21 |
| Time | 10:30 p.m. ET |
| Stream (US only) | fuboTV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
Watch LA Galaxy vs. Atlanta United live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
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Squads & Team News
| Position | LA Galaxy players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Bingham, Sylvestre, Vom Steeg |
| Defenders | Arellano, Ciani, Cole, Feltscher, Hilliard-Arce, Klimenta, Romney, Skjelvik, Steres |
| Midfielders | Alessandrini, Alvarez, Boateng, Carrasco, J. dos Santos, Husidic, Kitchen, Lletget, Pedro |
| Forwards | G. dos Santos, Ibrahimovic, Jamieson IV, Kamara, Lassiter, Pontius |
Giovani dos Santos is questionable with a hamstring injury, as is Michael Ciani with a groin problem. Dos Santos has only managed to play in two of the Galaxy's six matches thus far.
Starting XI: Bingham; Feltscher, Steres, Skjelvik, Cole; Alessandrini, Kitchen, J. dos Santos, Lletget; Ibrahimovic, Kamara
| Position | Atlanta United players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Guzan, Hildebrandt, Kann |
| Defenders | Ambrose, Bello, Escobar, Garza, Gonzalez Pirez, Hernandez, Parkhurst, Robinson, Zizzo |
| Midfielders | Almiron, Barco, Carleton, Gressel, Kratz, Goslin, Larentowicz, McCann, Nagbe, Shannon, Wheeler-Omiunu |
| Forwards | Gallagher, Kunga, Martinez, Okonkwo, Vazquez, Villalba, Wild, Williams |
Franco Escobar and Hector Villalba are both questionable with injuries. Record signing Ezequiel Barco made his MLS debut last week off the bench after missing Atlanta’s first five matches with a quad strain. The teenager could make his first start in this match.
Potential starting XI: Guzan; Gonzalez Pirez, Parkhurst, McCann; Larentowicz; Barco, Gressel, Nagbe, Garza; Martinez, Almiron
Betting & Match Odds
The Galaxy are favored to win the match, with Dabblebet pricing an LA win at 11/10. Atlanta is at 21/10 to get a road victory while a draw is available at 5/2.
Game Preview
Gary A. Vasquez
Some of Major League Soccer's biggest stars will be on display Saturday night at StubHub Center in Los Angeles.
The league's newest marquee addition Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to make his first home start in this match, and the Swede has taken to MLS like a fish to water thus far.
In just three MLS appearances, two of which have been off the bench, the 36-year-old has scored three times and led the Galaxy to two victories.
The boost from the Swede has propelled a Galaxy side that has struggled with early-season injuries to a second-place spot in the Western Conference.
The Galaxy will face one of their biggest tests of the early season when they welcome Atlanta United to StubHub Center.
After the opening-day drubbing in Houston, Atlanta has looked every bit like one of the league's best sides – especially in attack.
The Five Stripes have 15 goals on the season, good for the second-best total in the league, with Josef Martinez on top of the early-season Golden Boot race with five goals.
And now after a 20-minute cameo in last weekend's 2-2 draw with New York City FC, Atlanta is ready to unleash MLS record signing Ezequiel Barco.
The 19-year-old, signed for $15 million in the offseason, could make his first MLS start in this game, adding even more intrigue to an already-tasty encounter.
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