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• FC Dallas v Austin FC: Estevez frustrated by Texas derby scheduling

  FC Dallas boss Nico Estevez would have preferred not to face both of the club's Texas rivals in back-to-back home games, but he is keen to follow up their victory over the Houston Dynamo with another against Austin FC.

  Dallas overcame Houston 2-0 on their last home outing in MLS, though they were then beaten 3-1 by in-form Toronto FC on their travels last week.

  Estevez's team sit 13th in the Western Conference with eight points, some eight adrift of Austin in sixth, but he feels there are things they can replicate from the Houston game in their next derby match. 

  "It would be nice for our fans and everyone if the games were a little bit more spread out, right?" he said on Thursday.

  "When you have back-to-back, I feel like it is difficult to get that assignment and motivation and everything right, but for us, it is important. 

  "Austin uses more of the wings and it's a different type of approach. They defend in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2, which is similar."

  Austin, meanwhile, have won four of their last six MLS games (one draw, one loss) to surge up the standings, leaving boss Josh Wolff encouraged ahead of a busy few weeks. 

  "There's no way we can look past one opponent and towards the next," Wolff said. 

  "We have to see who comes through Dallas in a good way and see where we're at physically and where the opponent is at physically.

  "These guys are fit, they're strong and they're in a good space."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  FC Dallas – Sam Junqua

  Junqua has recorded a goal contribution in consecutive matches (one goal, one assist), including scoring Dallas’ lone goal at Toronto last Saturday.

  Junqua had only recorded two goal contributions in his previous 35 MLS appearances going back to August 2022.

  Austin FC – Brad Stuver

  Austin’s goalless draw at Vancouver on Saturday was their third consecutive clean sheet, their longest shutout streak in team history. Stuver started in goal in all three games and will be looking to continue that run against Dallas.

  Austin had kept just one clean sheet in their previous 25 matches in all competitions dating back to last July.

  MATCH PREDICTION – DALLAS WIN

  FC Dallas won each of their first three meetings with Austin FC – all in the 2021 season. Since then, Dallas have managed just two wins in seven against Austin (two draws, three losses), including a 2-1 loss at Q2 Stadium on March 30.

  With eight points, Dallas are off to their second-worst 10-match start to a season in club history with only their start in 2009 (six points from 10 matches) being worse. However, seven of their eight points have come in their five home matches.

  Meanwhile, Austin have collected 13 points in their last six MLS matches after totalling just 10 points in their previous 16 league matches dating back to their return from the Leagues Cup last August. The form book often goes out of the window on derby day, however, so their positive run could end here. 

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Dallas – 46.4%

  Draw – 28.2%

  Austin – 25.4%

• Arsenal's season a positive step even if title eludes them, says Parlour

  Arsenal will be better for the experience of pushing Manchester City close even if they fail to capture the Premier League title this season, says former Gunners midfielder Ray Parlour.

  Having dropped away during the run-in as City captured their third straight title in 2022-23, Mikel Arteta's side have kicked on this campaign and currently hold a one-point lead at the summit.

  However, City have three games to play to Arsenal's two, leaving the Gunners praying for a slip-up from the champions, who face Fulham, Tottenham and West Ham in their remaining fixtures.

  While Parlour finds it difficult to see City dropping points at this stage, he believes this season has been another positive step for Arteta's team, whatever the outcome.

  Parlour, an ambassador for NetBet, told Stats Perform: "I think it's been so positive this season. 

  "Even if they do come second, I think they've got better from last year and that's all you can keep doing, keep improving. 

  "We all know Man City are an absolute machine. Arsenal just have to keep trying to improve. It's a young team, they'll learn every year by going close, by playing big games. It can only be good for them. 

  "I'm sure they'll be looking in the market in the summer, trying to get the right people in. I think it's been positive.

  "The problem is you set the bar high and it's not going to get lower, it's got to go a little bit higher again. That's the hard bit, to keep maintaining the consistency, what you've done so far."

  City are unbeaten in their last 20 Premier League games (16 wins, four draws). They have won each of their last six while netting four or more goals in five of them – against Aston Villa (4-1), Crystal Palace (4-2), Luton Town (5-1), Brighton and Hove Albion (4-0) and Wolves (5-1).

  Parlour admits the champions' form is ominous and believes Arsenal will look back on last month's 2-0 defeat to Villa with plenty of regrets, saying: "All they can do is keep winning games. 

  "I look at Man City's run-in, I just can't see them dropping a point, that's my problem. Football's a funny game, so it can happen. I've seen Crystal Palace go to the Etihad and beat them, but it doesn't happen too often, especially towards the end of the season.

  "Arsenal have really pushed them all the way. They'll be kicking themselves a little bit with the Aston Villa game, but sometimes games don't go your way."

  Ray Parlour was speaking on behalf of NetBet Sports Betting.

• McGinn focusing on 'astronomical achievement' of Champions League qualification after Aston Villa heartbreak

  John McGinn is quickly turning his focus to the "astronomical achievement" of Champions League qualification after Aston Villa suffered heartbreak in the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.

  Villa were among the favourites to lift Europe's third-tier trophy but a 2-0 defeat at Olympiacos on Thursday consigned Unai Emery's men to a 6-2 aggregate loss over the two-leg tie.

  It means Villa end what has largely been viewed as an excellent season without a trophy but they can still finish on a high by securing a top-four finish in the Premier League.

  They lead fifth-place Tottenham by seven points with two games left in their domestic season, albeit Spurs do have a game in hand.

  McGinn apologised to the travelling support in Piraeus but, speaking to TNT Sports after the game, said there is still an opportunity to finish the season on a high.

  "We went into this competition as favourites and we handled that pressure throughout the competition, I think it’s been a huge learning curve for us," he said.

  "It's not been a smooth journey, we got to the semi-finals down to the bare bones a bit.

  "However, those of us who were out there over the two legs, we lost to who were the better team and I think the scoreline proves it."

  "Our instant feeling is absolutely gutted. We all wanted to be back here for the final.

  "Olympiacos gave it absolutely everything, played out of their skin in both legs, and overall the scoreline proves they were the better team.

  "We'll reflect, there's a lot of things we could have done better, but over the season, of course, we can be proud of the journey.

  "Obviously, we need to apologise to the supporters who have travelled here, they've travelled the whole campaign with us.

  "We wanted to deliver a trophy to them, we all wanted it as players. We’'e all bitterly disappointed, but we need a big push in the last two games to try and get over the line for the Champions League, which would be an astronomical achievement.

  "But here, the overriding feeling is disappointment, frustration and an opportunity missed. Congratulations to Olympiacos and we wish them all the best in the final."