Soccer Weekend: 'We're going to go with guns blazing. We’ve got nothing to lose,' says Lapper as Revs head to Montreal

Since we last saw Montreal back on April 24, L’Impact have been a virtual teeter-totter — of course, we can say the same about the Revolution, given the last several weeks. But let’s examine Montreal, New England’s opponent Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.).

Since that fateful night where the Revs just could not get anything going and Cody Cropper switched off for a painful heartbeat, Montreal is 2-2-0: a 1-0 win over Chicago on April 28, a 2-0 defeat to New York City FC on May 4, a 2-1 win over the Red Bulls on May 8, and a 2-1 defeat to FC Cincinnati last Saturday night.

To read the way Montreal coach Remi Garde’s men play, check out the film review from April 24. To read the remainder of this week’s preview, subscribe and continue:

L’Impact (6-5-2, 20 points, 4th East) may have Ignacio Piatti ready for Saturday. The 34-year-old Argentine missed the trip to Foxborough and recently returned to training following a knee injury two months ago. According to the Montreal Gazette, Piatti is expected to be available for selection, but whether or not he’ll see action remains up in the air.

“I don’t want to rush Nacho on the field if he’s not able to be at his best,” Garde said Thursday. “I’m very close to Nacho and the best decision for him is what’s best for him and the team.”

Montreal will also be without right back Bacary Sagna, who is suspended for this weekend.

Still, Montreal is formidable, given Saphir Taider, Maxi Urruti, and Anthony Jackson-Hamel. L’Impact have gone 4-4-2 since Piatti’s injury, and they can score goals.

New England (3-8-2, 11 points, 12th East) showed last Saturday night that even without a lot of the ball, sub-28 percent, it can score goals, too. It is also coming off a 3-0 loss — albeit in a friendly — to West London side Chelsea FC.

“Once we got through Wednesday night, as soon as that whistle blew was, who's healthy? What do we need to do to put the best team out there against Montreal?” Revolution interim coach Mike Lapper said following Thursday’s training session. “And for me, I always would err on the side of caution in terms of I need our guys fit and be able to run — it's gonna be a tough match.

“They may get a big boost with Piatti coming back into their lineup. He was at training the other day and he was ripping it up. He'll bring the spark to the team which unfortunately for us doesn't come at a great time. We're going to go with guns blazing. We’ve got nothing to lose.”

The Revs can get as high as 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a victory over Montreal Saturday.

Also in the league this weekend

The Revs and Impact kick off the weekend, but Real Salt Lake hosting Toronto isn’t too far behind; San Jose hosts Chicago on Univision (3:30 p.m.).

On Saturday evening, Philadelphia hosts Seattle, Minnesota United hosts Columbus, and Sporting Kansas City hosts Vancouver.

On Sunday, Orlando City hosts FC Cincinnati in a bottom of the table six-pointer, the Red Bulls host Atlanta United (5 p.m., FS1) in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference championship race, FC Dallas hosts LAFC, and LA Galaxy hosts Colorado.

In the USL, Hartford Athletic looks to make it two wins in both competitions on Sunday when it takes on Loudon United at Audi Field. Hartford beat the New York Cosmos, 2-1, in the US Open Cup on Tuesday for their first-ever win in any competition.

Closer to home in the NPSL, the Greater Lowell Rough Diamonds will host the Cosmos at 8 p.m. tonight at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Lawrence. In addition, Boston City FC is at the Brooklyn Italians at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Rhode Island Reds host Kingston Stockade at Johnston High School at 7 Saturday night, and Hartford City FC will host the Cosmos on Sunday at 4 p.m.

We’ve been remiss in not mentioning the UPSL Patriot Division, so we’ll be sure to include that fantastic league in our weekend briefing. Saturday sees Sporting Hartford take on International SC at 2 p.m., while Somerville’s Safira FC hosts Astoria Knights at the McCarthy Turf Field in Chelmsford at 6 p.m. And at 7 p.m. at Charlestown High, Boston Siege hosts Juve-Pro.

And last but certainly not least… the FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Watford is on ESPN+ at 12 p.m. ET Saturday at Wembley.