FC Cincinnati will look to secure a spot in the first round of the MLS playoffs when they take on Nashville SC at TQL Stadium on Saturday.

Nashville head into MLS Decision Day with their fate already sealed, having clinched their first-ever Supporters' Shield. 

Match preview

Cincinnati are sitting in seventh spot in the Eastern Conference after winning 12, drawing 11 and losing 10 of their 33 matches this season.

Pat Noonan's side have come into form at just the right time, having dropped just two points from their last four matches since suffering consecutive defeats against New England Revolution and Columbus Crew.

Cincinnati recorded home and away wins in back-to-back games against DC United, before they played out a thrilling 2-2 draw against Inter Miami at Nu Stadium.

The Orange and Blue then returned to winning ways with a narrow 1-0 home victory against Philadelphia Union, which came courtesy of Ayoub Jabbari's third goal of the season.

Having already guaranteed some form of post-season action, Cincinnati will secure a spot in the first round with a win against Nashville, but a failure to claim all three points will leave them open to being overtaken by Columbus and Orlando City, who currently occupy the two wild-card round positions.

The hosts can take some confidence from the fact they have won two of their last three MLS home games against Nashville, including a 2-1 success in September 2025 at TQL Stadium. 

Nashville will already have one eye on the first round of the playoffs after clinching their first MLS Supporters' Shield with a 2-0 win over Montreal last month.

BJ Callaghan's side went on to play out a goalless draw against Philadelphia Union before coming from two goals down to pull off a 3-2 victory over New York Red Bulls last time out.

Sam Surridge netted a stoppage-time winner in that comeback success, which extended the club's impressive 17-game unbeaten home run in the MLS.

In fact, they have gone nine matches without defeat at any venue since losing away to Toronto FC on September 27, so they will be desperate to carry that undefeated streak into the playoffs as they continue to work towards their ultimate goal of winning the MLS Cup for the first time in their history.

Having tied the MLS single-season points record, Nashville will take the outright record if they are able to add at least a point to their 74-point tally in their final outing of the regular season. 

Nashville will certainly fancy their chances of claiming a positive result after running out 4-0 winners in their most recent meeting with Cincinnati at Geodis Park in August.

FC Cincinnati Major League Soccer form:

Nashville SC Major League Soccer form:

Team News

Cincinnati defender Tyrell Malacia is unlikely to prove his fitness in time, having been forced to sit out the last three matches with an ankle injury.

The hosts are also without the services of Julian Malatini and Miles Robinson, while Teenage Hadebe is hoping to prove his fitness after being withdrawn with an apparent injury issue in the win over Philadelphia.

Evander is in contention to start the final regular season game after featuring as a half-time substitute last weekend. 

As for the visitors, they have reported no fresh injury concerns ahead of Saturday's away trip, which should give Callaghan a full squad to choose from. 

The likes of Daniel Lovitz, Edvard Tagseth, Alex Muyl and Warren Madrigal could come into Callaghan's thinking if he wants to manage minutes ahead of the playoffs.

That said, Surridge will surely be keen to retain his place as he looks to add to the 19 goals he has scored in the regular season. 

FC Cincinnati possible starting lineup:

Celentano; Smith, Hagglund, Hadebe; Mboma, Bucha, Nwobodo, Evander, Ramirez; Barlow, Denkey

Nashville SC possible starting lineup:

Schwake; Najar, Palacios, Woledzi, Lovitz; Espinoza, Yazbek, Tagseth, Muyl; Madrigal, Surridge

We say: FC Cincinnati 2-2 Nashville SC

Nashville carry a nine-game unbeaten run into Saturday's fixture, and while there may be changes to their starting lineup, we think they will do enough to extend their undefeated strike with a draw. 

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