MIAMI – Miami FC will welcome the Charleston Battery back to FIU Stadium for the second time this season on Saturday night as the hosts look to continue their current league-best undefeated streak against a Battery side in need of a victory to boost its playoff chances after a draw in its midweek outing. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

@TheMiamiFC (12-6-5, 41pts) extended its current undefeated run to eight games last Saturday night as Haitian international Christiano Francois scored both goals in a 2-0 victory against Memphis 901 FC that saw Connor Sparrow record a nine-save shutout at AutoZone Park. Sparrow’s performance equaled the most saves in a shutout this season in the league and earned him Championship Team of the Week honors. The win kept Miami six points behind Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC for second place in the Atlantic Division standings but with two games in hand as it vies for a home playoff game as one of the top two teams in the division. Francois’ two goals also moved him into first place on the team with seven tallies this season, while the side overall has scored at least two goals in each of its past four outings with Billy Forbes and Lamar Walker also notching two-goal performances in that span.

The @Chas_Battery (8-8-5, 29pts) fell off the pace for a place in the postseason on Wednesday night after a 1-1 draw with Atlanta United 2 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium that saw Robbie Crawford score a second-half equalizer for his second goal of the season. Charleston is now five points back of Southern Derby rival the Charlotte Independence with one game in hand and 11 games to go in the regular season. The Battery have previously earned victory against Miami this season in a 2-1 win when the side met at Patriots Point on June 18, but more recently the side fell 3-2 on the road after holding a two-goal lead in the first half. The Battery have not yet defeated Miami away from home in three meetings since the South Florida side joined the Championship, something it will try to change on Saturday.

FiveThirtyEight.com Match Predictor: Miami FC 55%, Charleston Battery 20%, Draw 24%

Most Recent Lineups

Miami FC (4-3-3): Connor Sparrow; Sean McFarlane, Paco Craig, Luca Antonelli, Janos Loebe; Junior Palacios, Jahshaun Anglin, Bolu Akinyode; Christiano Francois, Pierre Da Silva, Billy Forbes

Charleston Battery (4-4-2): Joe Kuzminsky; Angelo Kelly, Erik McCue, Jarad van Schaik, AJ Paterson; Zeiko Lewis, Burke Fahling, Robbie Crawford, Stavros Zarokostas; Claudio Repetto, Nicque Daley

Discipline

Miami FC – None

Charleston Battery – None