

Posted by

Stuart Mactaggart ,

April 17, 2015 Email

Stuart Mactaggart

On Twitter:

@FuryFanatic

Ottawa Fury will host Minnesota United this weekend in their 2015 NASL home opener. It will be a very important match for Fury as they look to get their first win of the NASL campaign so they can head into the Amway matches vs Edmonton with confidence.



Minnesota United was awarded an MLS expansion side earlier this season and will have a lot to prove in the NASL before they make the jump in a few years. Ottawa Fury know it will be a tough match and coach Marc Dos Santos says the club are focusing on their opponent in training this week, including video sessions.



Keep Thinking



Fury will see the return of some key players, including midfielder Julian De Guzman and captain Richie Ryan. Dos Santos has said that Ryan and Ubiparipovic will likely not be fit enough to start, instead starting on the bench, while De Guzman will fit into the starting eleven following his suspension.



“I won’t call it [the squad] fully fit because guys like Richie Ryan and Sinisa [Ubiparipovic] are not fully fit, they’ve improved a lot and are ready to go, but they aren’t ready to start today. Hopefully against Edmonton we can use more minutes from these players” Dos Santos said.



Dos Santos will likely go with the 4-2-3-1 formation that he favoured last week in Atlanta that saw Brazilian Oliver sitting in the attacking midfield role, moving to two holding midfielders rather than just the one. The back four will likely go unchanged, while Paulo Jr will most likely slip into the starting line-up at the expense of Poltronieri.



In The End



Fury will need to play a strong match vs United Saturday, including a strong passing game and being physical on the ball. With the experience of De Guzman coming into the lineup, along with the speed of Paulo Jr and Oliver, Marc Dos Santos will be able to put together his strongest starting XI of the year so far.



A win for Fury is a must if they want to keep chasing the Spring Season title, which would earn them an automatic spot in this falls NASL Championship. With midweek matches against FC Edmonton in the Amway Cup coming up, Dos Santos will be looking to use the depth of his squad to ensure they can cope with the work load.



Prediction

Ottawa Fury 2 – 1 Minnesota United