Austin FC vs Minnesota United Prediction: Too early to leap.

The break and preseason is finally over and the teams are preparing for the long awaited season. Austin FC hosts Minnesota United at the Q2 Stadium for the opening game of the campaign.

Austin FC had put in significant time in the preparation for the season more than most clubs in the league. They played 7 matches during the preseason and although the results were not excellent, the team will hope the hard work pays off in the new season. And Minnesota played just 4 games ahead of the new season, and despite the poor results, there's a lot of room for development in the new season.

But at the moment, it's Austin FC playing against Minnesota United for the first 3 points of the season.

Austin FC

Austin FC have put in the extra efforts to prepare for the new season and now the season is finally here. The first challenge for Austin FC is a visit from Minnesota United. Austin FC defeated Minnesota United twice last season on both grounds and there's enough reason for them to come into this clash with confidence. 

In preparation for the new season, Austin FC played 7 preseason matches and they had 3 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat in those games. The wins were against FC Cincinnati, LA Galaxy and New York City. While they drew against Philadelphia Union, Louisville City and New York Red Bulls and then they lost once against Chicago Fire.

Austin finished 25th at the end of last season, with 39 points from 34 matches. They had 10 wins, 9 draws and 15 defeats. Sebastian Driussi was top scorer for Austin with 11 goals, while Daniel Pereira registered 5 assists.

Austin FC are expecting a better position at the end of the new season, possibly a spot in the playoffs and it starts from the game against Minnesota United.

Minnesota United

Minnesota United will be playing against the odds on the opening day against Austin FC. Austin FC was a tough opponent for them last year, as they lost both league games against them. But it's a new season and Minnesota United will hope for a better record against Austin FC.

There were lots of talking points for Minnesota United in the preseason games. They were not perfect in those games and there's a lot of improvement to be done in the team ahead of the new season. Their first game ended in a draw against CF Montreal, and then they won against Phoenix Rising in the next game. Before losing to Chicago Fire and holding Charlotte FC to a goalless draw in the final preseason game.

Minnesota United ended in 21st spot at the end of last season. They had 41 points from 10 wins, 11 draws and 13 defeats. Teemu Pukki scored 10 goals for Minnesota United and Emmanuel Reynoso registered 4 assists. 

Minnesota United will be going into the new season with a better expectation and it all starts with the trip to the Q2 Stadium. 

Head to Head

According to the h2h, Austin FC and Minnesota United have played just 7 matches against each other. Austin FC won 4 matches while Minnesota United won the remaining 3 matches.

Analysis and Predictions

With the season just beginning, there's a lot of uncertainty in the way both teams will approach this game. Looking at both clubs, Austin FC are better suited to get the job done compared to Minnesota United. 

According to analysis, Austin FC have not kept a clean sheet in the last 3 meetings against Minnesota United and Minnesota United have not kept a clean sheet in the last 4 meetings. There were less than 4.5 cards shown in their last 6 meetings and less than 10.5 corners in 5 of their last 7 matches.

• Austin FC to Score First at 1.727 Odds
• Austin FC to Win or Draw and Over 1.5 Goals at 1.61 Odds
• Austin FC to Win at 2.05 Odds