HARTFORD, Conn. – Hartford Athletic will play host to the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday night at Dillon Stadium, becoming the next side to try and end Tampa Bay’s record-setting shutout streak that reached more than 800 minutes in the club’s last outing as the hosts try to build on a home victory of their own last time out. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

@HFDAthletic (9-11-3, 30pts) broke a recent winless run in its last outing with a 2-0 victory against Real Monarchs SLC on September 15, and now needs to try and close a 10-point gap to the Charlotte Independence, which is currently fourth in the Atlantic Division. Juan Carlos Obregon Jr. found the net in the first half for the hosts, while Danny Barrera picked up his ninth assist of the season, which is now tied for the league-lead alongside the Charleston Battery’s Zeiko Lewis. Hartford has claimed victory once against the Rowdies this season on the road at Al Lang Stadium, while all three prior meetings this season between the sides have finished with 1-0 final scores as the Rowdies sit with two wins from three going into Saturday. With nine games to go in the regular season, Saturday is close to a must-win for the Athletic’s playoff chances.

The @TampaBayRowdies (17-6-1, 52pts) recorded their eighth consecutive shutout last Saturday night in a 2-0 victory against Atlanta United 2 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, moving the side’s shutout streak to 801 minutes, the longest all-time in the Championship’s regular season. The Rowdies have posted 13 shutouts overall this year, with goalkeeper Evan Louro and defenders Forrest Lasso, Aaron Guillen and Jordan Scarlett ever-present in the starting lineup for the side. Louro can break a tie with former Rio Grande Valley FC goalkeeper Callum Irving for the most consecutive shutouts in league history with a clean sheet on Saturday, and the side will be hoping the recent rich vein of scoring form from captain Sebastian Guenzatti continues with the forward having notched five goals in his past three games to move into a tie for second in the league with 14 tallies this season. Guenzatti provided the winner on Tampa Bay’s last visit to Dillon Stadium and will be hoping for more on Saturday night.

FiveThirtyEight.com Match Predictor: Hartford Athletic 20%, Tampa Bay Rowdies 55%, Draw 25%

Most Recent Lineups

Hartford Athletic (4-1-4-1): Jeff Caldwell; Nicolas Cardona, Tulu, Thomas Janjigian, Younes Boudadi; Justin Haak; Danny Barrera, Arthur Rogers, Conor McGlynn, Preston Tabort Etaka; Juan Carlos Obregon Jr.

Tampa Bay Rowdies (3-4-3): Evan Louro; Jordan Scarlett, Forrest Lasso, Aaron Guillen; Sebastian Dalgaard, Lewis Hilton, Laurence Wyke, Leo Fernandes; Yann Ekra, Steevan Dos Santos, Sebastian Guenzatti

Discipline

Hartford Athletic – None

Tampa Bay Rowdies – None