New England Revolution v Atlanta United: Porter eyeing instant bounce back against Five Stripes

New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter has challenged his team to bounce back from their heavy defeat last time out when they host Atlanta United on Wednesday.

The Revs' four-match unbeaten streak in MLS was ended by a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Columbus Crew at the weekend.

Their recent run has lifted them off the foot of the Eastern Conference and kept them in the hunt for what looked to be an unlikely playoff place.

Porter is confident his team can quickly put the weekend's disappointment behind them.

"You can't lose to teams that are in around you and give them points," Porter said. "They are in the hunt with us for the playoffs, so it's really important we bounce back.

"We still have confidence. We know we're a good team, and it has to be the next game. This next game against Atlanta is vitally important for us to get three points. We are really hungry to make the playoffs. It was not a great start to the year, and we're really looking to fix that.

"I reminded the guys that we won four in a row. We're playing really well, and we can't forget about that. But we do need to use this last game as a little bit of a wake-up call and to continue to remind ourselves that we have to keep improving."

Meanwhile, Atlanta are on a five-game unbeaten streak of their own after a 2-1 win over Toronto FC.

They sit five places and five points above New England, and they will be aiming to extend their run to keep the pressure on the teams above them.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

New England Revolution – Emmanuel Boateng

Emmanuel Boateng scored his second goal of the season in New England's defeat to Columbus Crew on Saturday.

He has now scored two goals in each of his four seasons with the Revs, with seven of the eight total goals being scored at home.

Atlanta United – Jamal Thiare

Jamal Thiare's winning goal in the 97th minute for Atlanta on Saturday was the sixth match-winning goal scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time or later this season in MLS, equaling the total from all of last season.

MATCH PREDICTION: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION WIN

New England's six-match unbeaten run against Atlanta ended with a 4-1 road loss on March 9. The Revs have won three straight home matches against Atlanta after not winning any of the first three meetings in Foxborough (D2 L1).

However, New England's four-match winning streak ended with a 5-1 home defeat to the Crew on Saturday. It was the first time the Revs allowed five goals in a home match since a 5-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes in August 2001.

Atlanta are unbeaten in five straight away matches in all competitions (W2 D3), the second-longest road unbeaten run in club history behind only a seven-match streak in March-June 2018.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

New England Revolution – 42.3%

Draw – 26.7%

Atlanta United – 31.3%