Toronto FC enters David vs Goliath situation in clash with surging FC Cincinnati | OneFootball

Toronto FC are set to be massive underdogs in its fixture against FC Cincinnati on Wednesday.

The Reds will play host to FC Cincinnati on Wednesday evening, with kick-off set for 7:30 p.m. ET at BMO Field. Looking to build momentum from this past weekend's victory, Toronto FC will face its most formidable challenge since playing Vancouver back in March, taking on the best of the East in Cincinnati.

Nobody in Major League Soccer has more wins than FC Cincinnati, earning a joint-first eight wins so far this season. While Cincinnati have lost this month, being bested 1-0 by NYCFC on May 4th, they have also won six of its last seven matches.

While it's easy to be a bit more positive than usual because of Toronto's win over D.C. United on the weekend, this could be a match that falls apart quickly for Robin Fraser's side if they are not up for the test.

Like Caleb Porter's comments a couple of weeks back regarding playing Toronto FC, Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan will almost certainly tell his players that this could be a trap game for themselves if they take Toronto FC too lightly.

Toronto FC will need to pay attention to Cincinnati's offensive talent

Former Portland Timbers forward Evander has quickly shown why Cincinnati paid over $12 million for his services back in February. The Brazilian has been on fire to begin the season, notching seven goals and two assists in 10 matches.

Evander will certainly be watched closely by the Toronto FC backline. He is more than capable of making defenders pay the price if they are not at the top of their game. He's also not Cincinnati's only threat in attack, though. The club also signed Togolese striker Kevin Denkey this winter from Belgian club Cercle Brugge, who has gotten off to a hot start with six goals in 11 matches.

The two clubs' striker situations could not be more opposite. FC Cincinnati is beaming with talent at the top of the pitch, while Toronto FC, after many trials and errors, still cannot find its starting centre-forward.

Robin Fraser keeps cards close on potential Toronto FC lineup and plan

Given this match is a midweek one and will be Toronto's second of three matches in ten days, who will start is a big question. There are still a whole host of guys recovering from injuries, so it's not like Fraser has a massive pool of players to completely rotate with yet. Speaking pre-game about the plan going into the fixture, Fraser didn't reveal too much about what would happen.

Despite the short turnaround, you'd have to think the centre-back pairing of Sigurd Rosted and Kevin Long will stay intact, with the options off the bench currently being 18-year-old Lazar Stefanovic and recent returnee Zane Monlouis.

Maxine Dominguez who has been a bench option the past three matches for Robin Fraser could be in line to return to the starting lineup, likely giving Alonso Coello a rest.

Up front, Lorenzo Insigne, who got the monkey off his back scoring against D.C. United will be a favourite to keep their spot on Wednesday. Ola Brynhildsen will be an interesting one to watch, given that he went 73 minutes on Saturday without scoring. However, he was the player chosen for the pre-game presser, so who knows what that really means.