The first Cali Clasico of the 2018 season sees the LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes both looking to improve after a rough stretch of form.
San Jose suffered an ignominious home defeat to last-place D.C. United on Saturday, the worst result of a difficult opening to manager Mikael Stahre's first season in charge.
The Galaxy, on the other hand, did secure a 1-0 away win at Montreal on Monday to put an end to a four-match losing streak.
Sigi Schmid's side managed that result despite an early red card from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who will be suspended for Friday's game at StubHub Center.
| Game | LA Galaxy vs San Jose Earthquakes |
| Date | Friday, May 25 |
| Time | 11 p.m. ET |
| Stream (US only) | fuboTV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
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Squads & Team News
| Position | LA Galaxy players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Bingham, Sylvestre, Vom Steeg |
| Defenders | Arellano, Ciani, Cole, Feltscher, Hilliard-Arce, Klimenta, Romney, Skjelvik, Steres |
| Midfielders | Alessandrini, Alvarez, Boateng, Carrasco, J. dos Santos, Husidic, Kitchen, Lletget, Pedro |
| Forwards | G. dos Santos, Ibrahimovic, Jamieson IV, Kamara, Lassiter, Pontius |
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is suspended after his red card in Montreal, while Giovani dos Santos is questionable after missing the Galaxy's last two games with an undisclosed injury. Rolf Feltscher is a long-term absence after shoulder surgery.
Potential starting XI: Bingham; Klimenta, Ciani, Skjelvik, Cole; Kitchen, Lletget; Alessandrini, J. dos Santos, Boateng; Kamara
| Position | San Jose players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Bersano, Marcinkowski, Tarbell |
| Defenders | Affolter, Akanyirige, Cummings, Lima, Marie, Ockford, Quintana, Qwiberg |
| Midfielders | Alashe, Calvillo, Eriksson, Felipe, Fuentes, Godoy, Hyka, Jungwirth, Vako, Salinas, Thompson, Wehan, Yueill |
| Forwards | Amarikwa, Hoesen, Musovski, Thiaw, Wondolowski |
Yeferson Quintana (ankle), Eric Calvillo (knee), and Jahmir Hyka (ankle) are all out for Friday's game.
Potential starting XI: Tarbell; Lima, Ockford, Cummings, Jungwirth, Salinas; Eriksson, Yueill, Godoy, Vako; Hoesen
Betting & Match Odds
The Galaxy are favored to win the match and are priced at 4/6 according to dabblebet. An away victory for San Jose is priced at 7/2 and the draw is available at 3/1.
Game Preview
Both San Jose and the Galaxy will be hoping that the prospect of a rivalry match will inject some life into 2018 campaigns that have been trying up to this point.
Much was expected of the star-studded Galaxy this season but Sigi Schmid's side have thus far flattered to deceive, sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference.
Injuries have been a factor, with Giovani dos Santos only playing five of the team's 11 games thus far. After missing two games in a row, the Mexico star's status for Friday's game is up in the air.
While Dos Santos is questionable, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is definitely out after picking up a petulant red card last week for slapping Montreal's Michael Petrasso.
Though the Galaxy will be shorthanded they will be able to call upon the red-hot Ola Kamara, who has scored in four straight games and leads the team in goals with five.
Much like LA has counted on Kamara, San Jose has relied upon Danny Hoesen, who himself has scored in three consecutive games and has six goals for the season.
Hoesen's form has been a bright spot for the Quakes, who have won just two of their nine games in 2018 and sit in 10th place in the Western Conference.
Winning at the StubHub Center against their in-state rivals would be an ideal tonic for Mikael Stahre's side but it won't come easy – Zlatan or no Zlatan.
