Canadian Premier League — Match #50 Valour FC vs. Pacific FC July 31, 2019 — IG Field (8 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET) Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca

Pacific FC begins a three-game road swing this week as they head to Manitoba for a battle with Valour FC, who will look for their first victory of the Fall season.

With 15 days separating this clash from Pacific's last match, Michael Silberbauer's side will hope they can pick up where they left off from a resounding 3-1 win at home over HFX Wanderers FC. That was their only win of the Fall competition, with all three of Pacific's other games ending in defeat for the VanIsle-based club, who now sit fifth in the league table on three points (seven back of the top).

Valour, on the other hand, is still looking to break a seven-game winless streak in league play. Things have been quite a bit rosier lately, though, after they held Spring champions Cavalry FC to a resilient 1-1 draw on Saturday. That performance helped them jump to fifth in this week's CCL! Power Rankings, after a while at the bottom. Although Valour is last in the Fall competition table, they've only played three games (a loss and two draws), so they've got time to start climbing.

Next on the docket for these two sides? Valour heads further eastward for a Monday afternoon tilt with HFX Wanderers FC to mark the long weekend in Nova Scotia on August 5 (3:30 p.m. ET, 4:30 p.m. AT, on OneSoccer). Pacific's next foe will be FC Edmonton, whom they'll meet on August 10 at Clarke Field (6:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. MT, on OneSoccer).

KEYS TO THE MATCH

  • Keep building confidence: Valour's morale has certainly been tested during their long spell without a win. They've got two very gritty draws in the Fall competition, though, and Saturday's injury-time equalizer against Cavalry could prove a turning point for them. To steal a point in such dramatic fashion from a side that's dominated the league would give any team a confidence boost. Now, Rob Gale's players need to build on that iota of momentum and get the monkey off their back by finding that win.
  • Dynamic duo: All of Pacific's goals in their 3-1 win over HFX came from Victor Blasco and Terran Campbell, who have been lethal lately, bringing their season totals to five and seven goals, respectively. Three of Blasco's goals, and five of Campbell's have come in the month of July, fueling a recent offensive explosion from PFC. They're two players that Valour's defence cannot afford to lose track of in this game because they're as hot as anyone in the CPL right now.
  • Better precision: Valour has had some trouble connecting through the middle of the pitch, with their overall passing accuracy falling below 80% in each of the last three games. They need to be a little more cautious with the ball and make better decisions on passing options to avoid unnecessary giveaways. The good news? Jose Galan led the team with 87.1% accuracy in his Valour debut on Saturday. As he and Michele Paolucci settle into the side, they could provide a lot of help in that respect.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

Valour FC: Tyson Farago; Martin Arguinarena, Adam Mitter, Skylar Thomas, Jordan Murrell; Louis Beland-Goyette, Jose Galan; Michele Paolucci, Marco Bustos, Dylan Carreiro; Tyler Attardo Pacific FC: Nolan Wirth; Blake Smith, Matthew Baldisimo, Lukas MacNaughton, Kadin Chung; Alessandro Hojabrpour, Noah Verhoeven, Alex Gonzalez; Victor Blasco, Terran Campbell, Ben Fisk
HEAD TO HEAD

May 1 - Pacific FC 1-2 Valour FC June 20 - Valour FC 1-2 Pacific FC

STATS LEADERS

Tyler Attardo - 3 goals (Valour FC) Terran Campbell - 7 goals (Pacific FC)

INJURIES

Josip Golubar (Valour FC) - Out (ACL) Michael Petrasso (Valour FC) - Out Ali Musse (Valour FC) – Out Marcel De Jong (Pacific FC) - Out Marcus Haber (Pacific FC) - Out

INTERNATIONAL DUTY

Ahmed Alghamdi (Pacific FC) - Saudi Arabia U-20

SUSPENSIONS

None

ACCUMULATION

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

Jordan Murrell (Valour FC) - 3


REFEREES

Referee: Matt Souare ARs: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt & Marko Kalic 4th Official: Sabrina Ferraz


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

Q. Which team's keeper will make more saves?

A: Out of the four teams playing Wednesday night, Pacific and Halifax have been averaging the most shots on target with 5.3 and 4.4 respectively. If this trend continues then Valour and Edmonton's keepers should be facing more shots.
Q. Will a defender score a goal?
A: Since the beginning of the Fall competition, we've seen what looks to be an increase in set-piece goals being scored. Look at this as an opportunity for another defender to get on the scoresheet.
Q. Will there be more goals in the 1st half or the 2nd?
A: As teams start to play more often and well-rested players becoming rarer, it has taken teams longer to find their footing in matches ex. Forge and Edmonton this past weekend.

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