Houston and St. Louis meet level on 51 points before Round 34

The key question is whether Houston Dynamo’s stronger home defence can offset St. Louis City’s better away attack when both teams are level on 51 points in the provisional Western Conference standings. Houston have conceded 14 goals in 16 home games, while St. Louis have scored 22 in 16 away games.

Home defence against away production

Houston’s home record is 8 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses, with 19 goals scored, 14 conceded and 7 clean sheets. St. Louis’ away record is 5 wins, 5 draws and 6 losses, with 22 goals scored, 25 conceded and 2 clean sheets. That gives the hosts the clearer defensive platform, while the visitors have produced more goals on the road.

Form and provisional table stakes

The supplied 33-match form lists begin with Houston’s sequence of Win, Loss, Win, Loss, Loss and St. Louis’ Draw, Loss, Loss, Loss, Win. In the Western Conference, St. Louis are ranked #4 and Houston #5, both on 51 points from 33 games. Vancouver Whitecaps lead with 61 points, leaving each side 10 points behind the leaders.

Preferred shapes

Houston’s most-used formation is 4-2-3-1, deployed in 10 matches. St. Louis have most often used 3-4-3, in 12 matches, followed by 3-4-2-1 in 11. These figures identify recurring selections but do not establish how either team will approach this match.

At kickoff, can Houston’s seven home clean sheets contain St. Louis’ away scoring record?