Whip out your calculators and dust off your stats textbooks, we've got a MLS showdown here between Atlanta United FC and FC Dallas on the horizon.

In the net for FC Dallas, we'll be looking at Maarten Paes and Michael Collodi, both with north of a 7.0 rating and holding down the fort nicely. Atlanta will be responding with Brad Guzan, the man behind a safe set of gloves with a respectable rating of 7.03.

When it comes to their field cavalry, FC Dallas have some top performers of their own. Luciano Acosta is leading the pack with a rating of 7.35 and an impressive accurate pass rate of 73.7%, not to mention 2 goals. Now, Anderson Julio, another standout player, has a hundred percent pass accuracy but is currently under an injury cloud, so that's something to keep our eyes on.

On the Atlanta side, Emmanuel Latte Lath has been keeping things steaming with a rating of 7.38, 3 goals and 7 shots on target. However, our usual drum major Tristan Muyumba might have to call in sick, given he is on the doubtful list today.

Dipping our toes into historical waters, FC Dallas and Atlanta United seem to enjoy playing musical chairs, as they ended up in a tie in their last encounter. The regular season records paint an interesting picture as well, with FC Dallas at 3-1-2 and Atlanta at 2-2-2. Recent results are mixed for both teams, but Atlanta United FC did overpower New York City FC 4-3 in their latest outing while Dallas took down Sporting Kansas City 2-1.

Based on goalkeepers, top performers and with injuries of key players factored in, combined with past records and recent form, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you this piece of wisdom:

Albert’s Prediction: Atlanta United FC by 1