CF Montreal is well aware of the motivation of being an underdog, so it's not surprising to see the team wary of Atlanta United ahead of its Eastern Conference wild-card match on Tuesday night at Stade Saputo.

Josef Martinez can eliminate his former team when CF Montreal host Atlanta United in Tuesday night's Eastern Conference wild-card game. Martinez played for Atlanta from 2017-22, winning the MLS Cup and Most Valuable Player honors in 2018 before an ACL tear in early 2020 disrupted his career.

BOTTOM LINE: Atlanta United visits CF Montreal in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs. Montreal is 9-10-7 in conference play. Montreal has a 1-5-1 record when it scores a single goal. United is 10-9-7 against Eastern Conference opponents. United ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference with 167 shots on goal, averaging 4.9 per game.

CF Montréal was at home on the last day of the season fighting for a spot in the playoffs — and the Canadiens were on Long Island, losing a battle with themselves.

Montréal is set to play host to Atlanta at Stade Saputo on Tuesday, Oct. 22 in the Wild Card match. The winner takes on 2024 Supporters' Shield champions Inter Miami and Lionel Messi in the Round One Best of Three Series starting on Oct. 25.