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• Houston Dynamo v Vancouver Whitecaps: Sartini not letting visitors hide

  Vanni Sartini has backed Vancouver Whitecaps to finish high up the table at the end of the season and is targeting a win over high-flying Houston Dynamo.

  The Whitecaps currently sit sixth in the Western Conference on 45 points, but only three points separate them and second-place Los Angeles FC.

  They are on a three-match unbeaten streak in MLS, though their last defeat in the competition did come against Wednesday's opponents.

  Sartini believes his team can continue to challenge for a place at the top given their impressive record this season.

  "I think I count two games out of 36 where the other team was better than us and where we didn't play well, and it tells us that we do well," Sartini said.

  "We are having a really great season. The times of hiding ourselves is over. We need to really say we are here until the end and try to shoot for the highest position.

  "We might not make it, but we have the quality to do it."

  Meanwhile, the Dynamo sit just one place and one point below Vancouver in the table.

  Houston have lost just one of their last seven league matches and go into this game on the back of an impressive 4-1 win over Real Salt Lake. Head coach Ben Olsen is ready to use that result as a springboard.

  "It's time to turn it on. This is where we're at in the season," he said.

  "It's collectively showing up and playing our best. A lot of these teams that we're going to play are above us. It means they're good, but hopefully, that lights a fire in us that we want to move forward and move up."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Houston Dynamo – Ezequiel Ponce

  The Dynamo have scored 14 goals in the final 15 minutes of matches this season, including Ezequiel Ponce's goal on Saturday.

  Only Colorado Rapids (15) have more goals after the 75th minute in 2024.

  Vancouver Whitecaps – Fafa Picault

  Fafa Picault has scored six goals against the Dynamo, more than against any other opponent in his MLS career, including scoring braces in each of his last two matches against Houston.

  The last player to score multiple goals in three straight matches against a single opponent was David Villa vs. Toronto in 2015-16.

  MATCH PREDICTION: HOUSTON DYNAMO WIN

  The Dynamo have won back-to-back matches over the Whitecaps, scoring four goals in each win. This is the first time Houston has recorded consecutive wins over Vancouver (24 all-time meetings).

  Indeed, the Dynamo have won six of their last 10 regular season matches (D2 L2), including a 4-1 win over Real Salt Lake on Saturday, after they had recorded just three wins in their previous 13 league matches (D5 L5).

  Meanwhile, Vancouver are unbeaten in six straight away matches in all competitions (W4 D2), equalling the club's longest road unbeaten run in all competitions since joining MLS in 2011 (W1 D5 in July-August 2021).

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Houston Dynamo – 50.7%

  Draw – 25%

  Vancouver Whitecaps – 24.3%

• Ronaldo can reach 1,000-goal milestone before retirement - Jorge Andrade

  Cristiano Ronaldo is capable of reaching 1,000 career goals as long as he continues to look after his body, according to Jorge Andrade.

  The five-time Ballon d'Or winner netted his 900th goal for club and country in Portugal's 2-1 Nations League win over Croatia on 5 September.

  Ronaldo then added to his tally with a late winner in the 2-1 victory over Scotland three days later, setting him on his way to reaching the four-figure milestone.

  Former Portugal star Jorge Andrade, speaking at the Thinking Football Summit organised by Liga Portugal, backed his compatriot to do just that.

  "With Cristiano Ronaldo, nothing is impossible," Andrade said to Stats Perform. 

  "Since we've watched football, the idea of the 1,000 goals is associated with our great idol, Pele. 

  "But nowadays, both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have managed to overcome other idols, Diego Maradona and Pele. 

  "They managed to be the highlight of the football game in a short time. It's not surprising Ronaldo can break that record. He looks after his body. 

  "He has a history of very few injuries. In terms of the Portuguese national team and the league he is in, he manages his efforts well."

  Ronaldo has scored 132 of his goals for Portugal, with whom he won Euro 2016, while the other 769 have come at club level.

  The 39-year-old has scored 68 times for current club Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he has spent the past 20 months.

  While Ronaldo continues to score freely in the Middle East, long-time rival Messi is now plying his trade in the United States with Inter Miami.

  Andrade, best remembered for his time at Deportivo during his playing career, believes both deserve credit for taking on challenges elsewhere.

  "The most important thing for them is that they share the experiences they have even in adverse environments," he said. 

  "For example, Messi now plays in MLS. It's a difficult league; it's a league that doesn't have much visibility. 

  "He managed to be there and increase visibility. Cristiano Ronaldo went to Saudi Arabia and it's a complicated environment. 

  "He increased the visibility of that championship, making it attractive for other players to play who had just the five major leagues as the main goal to play.

  "In other words, these two players have changed the world of football."

• Birmingham 3-1 Wrexham: Stansfield brace hands hosts Hollywood derby bragging rights

  Jay Stansfield struck either side of half-time to give 10-man Birimingham a huge 3-1 victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Wrexham on Monday. 

  A game dubbed the 'Hollywood derby' was given a blockbuster start when Jack Marriot smashed home the opening goal for the visitors with just two minutes on the clock. 

  But Birmingham's £10million recruit Stansfield soon levelled the scores, being the first to react to Alfie May's effort that was parried into his path by Arthur Okonkwo. 

  The hosts then took hold of the encounter as May and Taylor Gardner-Hickman went close, but the game entered the break finely poised at St. Andrew's.

  However, Blues' dominance prevailed seven minutes after the restart with Stansfield's header picking out the far corner following Alex Cochrane's pinpoint cross. 

  And the points were sealed just before the hour-mark in stunning fashion as Tomoki Iwata's strike from distance smashed in off the post, much to the delight of minority owner Tom Brady in the stands.

  A fiesty conclusion to proceedings saw Chris Davies' side end the game with a man less after Krystian Bielik was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Andrew Cannon, but Birmingham were able to hold on for the win. 

  Data Debrief: The American dream

  Much was made of Birmingham's approach to the transfer window after spending £25m in their attempts to return the Championship at the first time of asking, but their biggest investment proved his worth on Monday.

  Stansfield notched his first two goals for the club since his permanent switch from Fulham, but the Blues striker also played a starring role in the encounter. 

  He registered an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.12 to Birmingham's 1.3 total, while he also produced more shots on target (three) and touches in the opposition box (six) than any other player.