MONTREAL host New York Red Bulls in an Eastern Conference MLS fixture with both teams looking to snap a run of poor results. Neither side has been at their best in recent times and they could be set to cancel each other out.
It has been a difficult campaign for Montreal so far as they are currently wallowing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. They have picked up just one win from their last 12 matches and need a swift upturn in results.
Montreal head into Thursday’s clash off the back of a 0-0 draw with Real Salt Lake in their previous MLS fixture. That is now three draws in the last four matches for Laurent Courtois’ men, two of which have come at Stade Saputo.
New York Red Bulls are also coming of a 0-0 draw after they were held by Nashville last time out in the MLS. The result means Sandro Schwarz’s men are now winless in three of their last five matches as they continue to look off colour lately.
Things have been much worse on the road for New York Red Bulls, who have lost three of their last four away matches. Among the results in that run is a 6-2 hammering at Eastern Conference leaders Inter Miami.
How the bookies view it: Red Bulls still fancied
Despite their recent struggles, New York Red Bulls are still considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies at 21/20 with bet365. A victory for Montreal is valued at 12/5 while a draw is set at odds of 9/4.
Recent head to head: Little to separate them
It is always a closely fought encounter between Montreal and New York Red Bulls with both teams claiming four wins each in the last eight matches. The most recent meeting came in May 2023 as Red Bulls claimed a 2-1 victory.
Players to watch: Coccaro for Montreal
Matias Coccaro could be worth keeping an eye on for Montreal as he looks to add to his three goals this season. The forward is priced at 12/5 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Thursday.
In the absence of top scorer Lewis Morgan, New York Red Bulls will look to Elias Manoel to provide the spark in attack. The forward has three MLS goals this season and is priced at 13/5 by bet365 to find the net on Thursday.
Probable line-ups
Josef Martinez remains sidelined for Montreal and is ruled out of Thursday’s clash. Matias Coccaro could be given the nod to feature in attack having come off the bench against Real Salt Lake.
New York Red Bulls are still without Lewis Morgan, who is representing Scotland at Euro 2024. They are unlikely to make much changes to the team that faced Nashville last time out.
Montreal: Sirois, Alvarez, Waterman, Campbell, Sosa, Wanyama, Saliba, Ruan, Yankee, Duke, Coccaro
New York Red Bulls: Meara, Tolkin, Eile, Nealis, Nealis, Carmona, Edelmam, Amaya, Harper, Elias Manoel, Vanzeir
Anything else catch the eye?
Neither defence had been particularly convincing lately and both teams could be backed to score at 7/10 with bet365. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 4/5 by bet365, who is also offering 2/1 for over 3.5 goals.
There have been more goals after the break in four of New York Red Bulls’ last five matches and a similar pattern is priced at evens with bet365.
This MLS match between Montreal and New York Red Bulls will be played on Jun 20, 2024 and kick off at 00:30. Check below for our tipsters best Montreal vs New York Red Bulls prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
