Gotham FC vs Portland Thorns FC preview: Kicking off the homestretch

Following a successful and eventful Olympic "break", NJ/NY Gotham FC returns to league play with a home matchup against 2022 Champions Portland Thorns FC. This will be the second and final matchup between these two teams in the regular season. The first matchup was Gotham's first game of the season which saw them earn a 1-0 win in Portland to kickoff their title defense.

It has been a season of ups and downs so far for Portland. Following a winless first four games of the season, the Thorns found form under new head coach Rob Gale, winning their next six matches in a row. They then stumbled once again leading into the Olympic break winning just two of their last six NWSL fixtures.

Meanwhile, for Gotham FC, they have been in top form in the league for quite a while having only lost two games since the beginning of April. In addition, the team has also received some positive news on the injury front. Esther González and Kelley returned and played in the friendly against Chelsea F.C. Women on Monday night.

With both teams firmly in a playoff spot, this match will be pivotal regarding seeding and who gets home-field advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. These two teams sit on either side of the home game cutoff line with Gotham on the positive side. And while Portland can't pass the Bats with a win, the home team will want to see that gap grow rather than shrink. So, here is a preview of the matchup between Gotham FC and the Portland Thorns.

Date

Gotham FC and the Portland Thorns will faceoff on Saturday, August 24.

Time

The game is scheduled for kickoff at 2:30 PM ET.

Location

The match will be played at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.

How to watch

The television broadcast will be on CBS and streamed online on Paramount+.

Weather

The weather forecast for tomorrow's game looks promising. Current forecasts have the temperature at kickoff being 84 degrees, with around 40% humidity and 25% cloud coverage. The chance of rain throughout the duration of the game is at 0%.

Injury Report

Both González and O'Hara played on Monday against Chelsea so they both should be available for selection in league play for the first time since June and March respectively. Sadly, players replaced them on the injury report.

Midge Purce (knee) and Abby Smith (lower leg) remain on the season-ending injury list. Crystal Dunn (hip), Svava Guðmundsdóttir (excused absence), Sam Hiatt (foot), and Lynn Williams (lower leg) are all out for Saturday's fixture.

Players to watch

While the last of these games came close to seven weeks ago, Rose Lavelle has four goals in her last six league matches for Gotham FC. Fans should expect her to have a big game if she starts on Saturday. Keeping Lavelle healthy and fit for the rest of the season will be crucial if the Bats want to defend their NWSL championship and also win their Champions Cup group.

For Portland, the easy answer would be Sophia Smith, but she is unavailable, so let's go with Reilyn Turner. Turner was just acquired by Portland on Wednesday via trade with Racing Louisville FC. She was picked sixth overall in the most recent college draft and has had a good rookie season to date with five goals and two assists in 19 matches in all competitions this season including one against Gotham at Red Bull Arena back in April. Turner will want to make a good impression quickly with her new team.

Prediction

This should be a close-fought, high-quality game between two very good teams. Gotham FC being at home should give them the edge for a 2-1 win. Goals for the Bats will come from Lavelle and Ella Stevens.