NEW YORK CITY will be aiming to snap out of a rough patch as they host Orlando in an MLS fixture on Saturday. Orlando City have also not been at their best lately and with New York often decent in front of their fans, a home win could be on the cards.
New York City are going through a difficult patch at the moment having lost their last three matches. Nick Cushing’s men head into Saturday’s clash off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Nashville in their previous MLS fixture.
One positive for New York City is that they appear to do some good work in front of their fans. They have won five of their last seven matches at Yankee Stadium but are without a clean sheet in the last five fixtures in that run.
Orlando City are coming off a 4-2 victory over Chicago Fire last time out in the MLS. They were made to work hard by the visitors, with Facundo Torres netting a brace while Luis Muriel and Ivan Angulo were also on target.
That was a vital result as it ended a run of five matches without a win for Orlando, who have found things a bit difficult lately. Oscar Pareja’s men remain unconvincing on their travels and are without a win in their last three away matches.
How the bookies view it: New York firm favourite
New York City have been installed as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 9/10 by Betfred. An unlikely victory Orlando is valued at 5/2 while a draw is also set at odds of 5/2.
Head to head: Home advantage for New York
Orlando have a 10-9 advantage with eight draws from 27 previous matches against New York City. However, New York have won the last three meetings at Yankee Stadium and triumphed 2-0 in the most recent home fixture back in September.
Players to watch: Rodriguez to provide the spark
Santiago Rodriguez is the leading scorer for New York City with seven MLS goals and will be the one to watch on Saturday. The Uruguayan forward has found the net in the last two home matches and is priced at 13/8 by Betfred to maintain his scoring run.
Orlando also have some attacking quality of their own with Facundo Torres, who has scored three times in the last two matches. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on at 13/5 by Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Striker Adrian Martinez was an unused substitute last time out and could feature from the start on Saturday. Santiago Rodriguez should also continue in attack while Thiago Martins should retain his place in defence.
Orlando are still without Michael Halliday and Tahir Reid-Brown, who remain sidelined with injury. Luis Muriel and Duncan McGuire should continue their partnership in attack while Facundo Torres is also expected to start.
New York Red Bulls: Freese, Ilenic, Martins, Risa, O’Toole, Sands, Parks, Rodriguez, Moralez, Ojeda, Martinez
Orlando City: Stajduhar, Rafael Santos, Jansson, Schlegel, Porhallsson, Angulo, Lodeiro, Araujo, Torres, Muriel, McGuire
Anything else catch the eye?
Orlando have seen over 3.5 goals in their last three matches and a repeat is priced at 7/4 by Betfred, who is also offering 8/11 for over 2.5 goals. There have been more goals after the break in two of Orlando’s last three matches and a similar pattern is priced at 21/20 with Betfred.
New York City scored in both halves in the previous meeting with Orlando and could be set for a similar pattern at 13/8 with Betfred.
This MLS match between New York City and Orlando City will be played on Jun 29, 2024 and kick off at 00:30. Check below for our tipsters best New York City vs Orlando City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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