It is a clash between two teams seeking their first win of the new MLS season as New York Red Bulls host Chicago Fire at the Red Bull Arena. Both teams have shown defensive frailties in the early stage of the campaign and should offer up goals on Saturday.
New York Red Bulls suffered a 3-2 defeat at LA Galaxy in their previous MLS fixture. A string of defensive errors saw them concede three goals as efforts from Andrew Gutman and Cristhian Casseres proved futile.
It has been a disappointing start to the season for the Red Bulls as they are still seeking their first win of the campaign. Gerhard Struber's men began the season with a 2-1 home defeat to Sporting Kansas.
Although it is still early days in the season, New York will be disappointed to find themselves rooted to the bottom of the Eastern Conference after two matches. A shaky defence has been their major problem this term with five goals conceded in two fixtures.
Chicago Fire are also coming off a defeat as they were beaten 3-1 at Atlanta United last time out in the MLS. They were second best throughout the contest with Luka Stojanovic’s second half effort proving to be a mere consolation.
Chicago have faired only slightly better than New York having begun their campaign with a 2-2 draw against New England.
They have just one point this season and are 12th in the Eastern Conference.
Like their hosts, Raphael Wicky's men have also struggled with defensive problems this season with five goals conceded in two matches.
How the bookies view it
New York Red Bulls are considered favourites among the bookies and backed at 19/17 by Vbet to win. A victory for Chicago Fire is priced at 12/5 by betfair, who are also offering 11/4 for a draw.
Head to head
Chicago Fire have the edge in this fixture with 31 wins from 65 previous matches. New York Red Bulls have been victorious 21 times while there have been 13 stalemates between both teams, including a 2-2 draw in the last meeting.
Players to watch
Cristhian Casseres was on target last time out and could be the one to watch for New York Red Bulls. Bet365 has the forward at odds of 15/4 in the anytime goalscorer market while also offering 12/1 for the first goal.
Midfielder Luka Stojanovic has already hit the ground running for Chicago Fire with two goals in as many matches. He could be worth a punt in the anytime goalscorer market at 10/3 with bet365, who are also offering 11/1 for the first goal.
Anything else catch the eye?
With both teams struggling defensively this season, there are likely to be goals on Saturday. Over 4.5 goals is valued at 21/5 by betfair, over 3.5 goals is priced at 7/4 by Paddy Power while William Hill is offering 4/6 for over 2.5 goals.
A bulk of the goals for New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire often come after the break, which means both teams are likely to score in the second half at 15/8 with Paddy Power. The second half could also be picked as the highest scoring half at evens with Skybet.
This MLS match between New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire will be played on May 1, 2021 and kick off at 18:00. Check below for our tipsters best New York Red Bulls vs Chicago Fire prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
