:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/741791/146611949.0.jpg)
There are few places that Real Salt Lake has found more joy than the Home Depot Center: This season, the Claret and Cobalt have yet to drop points there (3-1 over LA, 3-0 and 4-0 over Chivas USA) and have a chance to make it a clean sweep of the stadium. It would also seal an unusual record in which both the Galaxy and Chivas USA won at the once-formidable Rio Tinto Stadium but lost at home.
Run of Form
Real Salt Lake has an opportunity to put together a three-game winning for only the third time this season, with form never having really fallen to the feet of the club. A long series of wins would go a long way to securing a good position for RSL in the Western Conference standings before going into the playoffs.
LA Galaxy are, however, undefeated since Aug. 5, when they lost 4-0 to Seattle Sounders, and have yet to consecutively drop points since July 4 in a 2-1 loss to Philadelphia Union following a 4-3 loss to San Jose Earthquakes.
Dangerous Galaxy
The Galaxy have a penchant for shooting from long range, as described in yesterday's piece about it: They have the highest ratio of goals scored from outside the box at 30 percent. Of those 16 distance goals, five have come from Juninho and seven from David Beckham.
They've also got some difficult players to deal with up front: Landon Donovan is third in the league in key passes (behind Graham Zusi and Javier Morales) and has 14 assists and nine goals, while Robbie Keane flip-flops those numbers: 14 goals and eight assists.
Absences
Ned Grabavoy is expected to continue his absence through a quad injury, while Kwame Watson-Siriboe is also out. The return of Jamison Olave from yellow card accumulation suspension, and the continued comeback of Chris Schuler makes that fact less problematic, though no less disappointing for the player.
LA Galaxy will be without the services of defender A.J. DeLaGarza, who has started every match this season but is out with a left knee sprain. This leaves the Galaxy in a tenuous position - one in which most are unsure which defender will play, with Leonardo certainly not an option, as he's on the disabled list.