FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan insisted full focus remains on his own team rather than Atlanta United, who they face in the MLS this weekend.

The Five Stripes are without a win in their last eight league games and sit 14th in the Eastern Conference as they continue to find their feet under Ronny Deila.

Cincinnati are second in the standings, but were replaced at the summit by the Philadelphia Union after their 1-1 draw with the Columbus Crew last time out.

Noonan's side have already played this weekend's opponents, drawing 2-2 back in March, though the Cincinnati boss expects a different game altogether this time around.

"We'll approach it the same way we did in the first matchup. It's a very dangerous team," Noonan said. "You try to put the results aside to understand what the game can look like now playing away from home.

"And certainly, they're going to push to win games and change the dynamic as far as results. From the first match up, which is too long ago to really look too much into, there's been a little bit of a difference in structure.

"So we have to be prepared for something new in that regard, but we won't focus too much on results on their end. It's what's in the group. How can they challenge us? And what do we need to be prepared for."

Atlanta were beaten 1-0 by Philadelphia in their last league fixture, with Tai Baribo's 59th-minute penalty sealing the victory for the Eastern Conference high-flyers.

Indeed, it was the fifth penalty that Atlanta have conceded this season, tied for the most in MLS. All five of those spot-kicks have been conceded in Atlanta's last nine matches.

Another part of their poor recent showings has been a lack of goals, with just 14 scored all season, with Atlanta boss Deila acknowledging that they must improve moving forward.

"We want it so much that we maybe stress too much in these kinds of situations," Deila said. "Take it even more calmly, take a bit more time and do it [accurately].

"You don't do that if you just put everything under the carpet, or we don't train. We need to work on it every day."

And despite Deila winning just two of his first 14 MLS matches (D5 L7), midfielder Aleksey Miranchuk insisted the whole squad was behind their head coach.

"[The leadership] comes from the gaffer, from the coach, straight from him," Miranchuk said. "For him, it's most important that we are one. We're together in this boat.

"It's a little bit in our heads, in our mindset. We have opportunities, but we cannot put the goal behind it. It's mental play. [In] games, you play you versus you."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Atlanta United – Emmanuel Latte Lath

With Atlanta without a win in their last eight league games, scoring just four goals in that time, they need top scorer Latte Lath to rediscover his shooting boots.

He has six league goal contributions (five goals, one assist) this season, but has failed to register one in his last six games, which has contributed to Atlanta's poor form.

FC Cincinnati – Evander

Evander scored a brace in his first meeting with Atlanta in March, and he will be out to add to his seven MLS goals already this season.

Indeed, no player has scored multiple goals in consecutive meetings with the Five Stripes, with the only player to score against them more than once being Josef Martinez.

MATCH PREDICTION: FC CINCINNATI WIN

Cincinnati are unbeaten in seven straight matches against Atlanta (W3 D4) dating back to the start of the 2022 season. The Five Stripes had won five of the first eight meetings between the sides (D2 L1).

Noonan's team have also lost only one of their last 10 regular-season matches (W7 D2). All seven wins as well as the lone loss in that span were decided by one-goal margins.

Atlanta, meanwhile, have managed just 11 points so far, their fewest through 14 matches of a season in club history. They are winless in eight straight regular-season matches (D3 L5), the third-longest streak in club history (12 straight in 2021, nine straight in 2024).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Atlanta United – 32.3%

Draw – 25.4%

FC Cincinnati – 42.2%