NEW YORK RED BULLS will be bidding to return to winning ways in MLS when they face Charlotte at the Red Bull Arena on Thursday.
Sandro Schwarz’s side have been left to stew for the best part of a fortnight after suffering a 2-1 defeat to rivals New York City in the first Hudson River Derby of the season.
That body blow has left the hosts in fifth position in the table, 11 points adrift of league leaders Inter Miami.
The Red Bulls will, therefore, be looking to bounce back at the first time of asking when Charlotte comes to town.
Dean Smith’s side will head to the city that never sleeps off the back of a 0-0 draw at home to Philadelphia at the weekend.
That stalemate extended Charlotte’s unbeaten run to five matches and a win here would see them leapfrog their opponents in the standings.
How the bookies view it: Red Bulls to reign supreme
New York Red Bulls, who are unbeaten in five outings at home this season, are 13/20 favourites on Bet 365 to make an immediate return to winning ways.
Despite picking up 11 points from their last five matches, Charlotte are big outsiders at 4/1 (Bet 365) while the draw can be backed at 29/10 (Bet 365).
Head to head: History favours the hosts
The two teams have crossed paths six times, with New York Red Bulls avoiding defeat in five of those matches, taking top honours on three occasions.
Last season’s corresponding fixture saw the Red Bulls romp to a resounding 5-2 victory.
Players to watch: Morgan to provide more magic
Lewis Morgan has made a flying start to the season for New York Red Bulls, netting nine times in 14 appearances so far. The Scotsman stands out at 7/5 (Bet 365) to strike on Thursday.
Charlotte have fired blanks in their last two matches so they will be hoping their leading goalscorer Patrick Agyemang can rediscover his scoring touch at the Red Bull Arena.
Predicted line-ups
New York Red Bulls will be without defender Sean Nealis after he was sent off in the dying embers of the aforementioned 2-1 defeat to New York City.
After serving a one-game suspension at the weekend, Charlotte will welcome back midfielder Brecht Dejaegere this midweek.
New York Red Bulls: Coronel; D. Nealis, Reyes, Eile, Tolkin; Edelman, Amaya; Carmona, Forsberg, Morgan; Manoel
Charlotte: Kahlina; Byrne, Malanda, Privett, Pedro; Bronico, Westwood, Diani; Smalls, Agyemang, Vargas
Anything else catch the eye?
With New York Red Bulls too short to side with at the above-mentioned price, I’ll instead back the hosts to overcome a -0.75 hurdle on the Asian Handicap at 4/5 on Bet 365.
This selection will deliver a full payout if the Red Bulls triumph by two goals or more, with a half-stakes winner, banked if the home team wins by a one-goal margin.
As already alluded to, the New York Red Bulls are unbeaten at home this season. They are also the joint-second highest scorers in the Eastern Conference, having scored 25 times in 14 outings.
While Charlotte have been a tough nut to crack of late, they have lost four of their last five games away from their Bank of America Stadium base, which doesn’t bode well ahead of their trip to the Big Apple.
This MLS match between New York Red Bulls and Charlotte will be played on May 30, 2024 and kick off at 00:30. Check below for our tipsters best New York Red Bulls vs Charlotte prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
