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Ottawa Fury will host Indy Eleven on Sunday afternoon as both clubs look to move to the top of the NASL Fall Season standings. Fury has started off the fall campaign with a win and a draw, and with three matches ahead in eight days it will be important that they continue scoring and earning points. Indy Eleven meanwhile are unbeaten in five matches and find themselves in a very suitable position to chase a post season berth.
Fury saw their shutout streak end last weekend against Minnesota United, at 648 minutes, but will still enter this match with one of the league’s hottest defense and keeper. Ottawa managed to defeated Indy Eleven earlier this season through a late Nicki Paterson goal, and a win on Sunday would propel them into first place in the Fall Standings and a great position near fourth for the combine table.
Keep Thinking
Ottawa Fury have struggled with injuries so far in 2015, and heading into this match is no different. Nicki Paterson is expected to be moved off the active roster in the coming days to make room for a new signing, following his ACL injury, while Ubiparipovic remains day-to-day following a hamstring injury last week. Oliver Minatel is expected to play wearing a face mask following last weekend’s kick to the face that resulted in a broken nose.
Tom Heinemann has scored in Fury’s last two goals and will likely get the start up front, although new signing Aly Hassan will be available for selection, along with Andrew Wiedeman. Julian De Guzman has returned from international duty and is available for selection, although following his three matches in a week for Canada he may not be ready to jump straight into the Fury lineup.
In The End
A win for Ottawa Fury this Sunday would push them into heights the club has never seen before, top of the NASL Fall Season standings, and set them up for a playoff push. Although injuries have plagued Fury all year, the depth of the squad is starting to shine through, and continuing scoring goals each game while keeping a strong back four will certainly help them win games that they would previously drop points on.
Following the match against Indy Eleven, Ottawa Fury will host Atlanta Silverbacks mid week before taking on the hot Carolina Railhawks in a weeks’ time. Fury has been strong at Lansdowne Park this year and will look to take at least 5 or 6 points from the next few matches at home if they wish to continue their run up the standings.
Prediction:
Ottawa Fury 3-1 Indy Eleven
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