Pachuca vs New York Red Bulls
, KO: 01:00 Jul 31, 2024, Red Bull Arena
PACHUCA and New York Red Bulls square off in their second Group J fixture in the Leagues Cup with both teams looking to bounce back from defeats. The Red Bulls will be keen to make fixtures on their home ground count and should have the upper hand over their Liga MX counterparts, who have been far from their best lately.
Pachuca are set to make their first appearance in this year’s Leagues Cup but head into Wednesday’s clash far from their best. They have picked up just one win from their last four matches and were beaten 2-0 by Pumas UNAM in a Liga MX fixture last time out.
Jorrge Almada’s men appear to have goalscoring problems as they have failed to find the net in three of their last four matches. As evidenced by the defeat to Pumas UNAM, Pachuca often struggle to create chances, with none of their attackers getting on target so far.
New York Red Bulls are also coming off a defeat as they were beaten on penalties by Toronto in their opening Leagues Cup fixture. After battling to a 0-0 draw in normal time, the Canadians went on to win 5-4 in the shoot-out.
New York Red Bulls will be disappointed not to have claimed the win, especially as the match was played on their home ground. Manager Sandro Schwarz will be keen to get things back on track as that was their first defeat in 13 matches at the Red Bull Arena, albeit on penalties.
How the bookies view it: Red Bulls fancied.
New York Red Bulls have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 23/20 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Pachuca is valued at 9/5 while a draw is set at odds of 5/2 by Betfred.
Head to head: No previous meetings
This will be the first ever meeting between Pachuca and New York Red Bulls.
Players to watch: Red Bull attack to click
Despite firing blanks last time out, New York Red Bulls have a solid attack that could be dangerous once it clicks into gear. Lewis Morgan and Elias Manoel have 12 and five MLS goals respectively and can combine to ensure the Red Bulls score first at 4/5 with Betfred.
Given Pachuca’s goalscoring problems, New York Red Bulls will be targeting a shutout at the other end of the pitch. The centre-back duo of Sean Nealis and Noah Eile did keep a clean sheet last time out and could be set for another at 3/1 by Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Forward Owen Gonzalez was a halftime substitute for Pachuca at Pumas UNAM and could be given a start on Wednesday. Borja Baston is expected to lead the line once again, with Gustavo Cabral set to feature in defence.
Elias Manoel was a second half substitute for New York Red Bulls last time out and could come in for Julian Hall. Dante Vanzeir could also be given the nod in attack alongside Lewis Morgan.
Pachuca: Moreno, Rodriguez, Cabral, Micolta, Gonzalez, Pedrasa, Deossa, Alvarez, Gonzalez, Idrissi, Borja Baston.
New York Red Bulls: Meara, Duncan, Eile, Nealis, Nealis, Donkor, Edelman, Carmona, Vanzeir, Elias Manoel, Morgan. Idrissi, Alvarez, Gonzalez, Borja Baston
Anything else catch the eye?
Given New York Red Bulls’ attacking quality, they could be backed to score in both halves at 8/5 with Betfred. A -1 handicap could also be considered at 3/1 by Betfred.
There have been more goals after the break in two of New York Red Bulls’ last three matches and a similar pattern is priced at 19/20 with Betfred.
This match between Pachuca and New York Red Bulls will be played on Jul 31, 2024 and kick off at 01:00. Check below for our tipsters best Pachuca vs New York Red Bulls prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
