Philadelphia Union will be looking to extend their fine record at Subaru Park when they host New York City FC in an MLS fixture on Sunday. The visitors have been out of sorts lately and should find things difficult against Philadelphia.
Following a run of two straight defeats, Philadelphia Union returned to winning ways as they claimed a 2-0 victory at Nashville SC last time out in the MLS. A penalty in each half from Daniel Gazdag was enough to earn the win in a bad-tempered encounter that produced three red cards.
Philadelphia Union have been a bit inconsistent lately but usually find their rhythm at this stage of the season as shown in previous campaigns. Manager Jim Curtin will consider the victory in Nashville as a sign that his team is beginning to turn a corner.
Another positive for Philadelphia Union is that in the midst of their erratic showings, they have remained solid at Subaru Park. They have won their last four home matches, claiming a 4-1 victory over Inter Miami in their previous fixture in front of their fans.
It was yet another draw for New York City FC as they were held 1-1 by Columbus Crew in their previous MLS fixture. They took the lead midway through the second half but failed to hold on for the win and conceded an injury-time equaliser.
The result means New York City have now claimed just one win in their last 15 matches across all competitions with eight of those fixtures ending in draws. A playoff finish appears out of reach at the moment as they sit 13th in the Eastern Conference, eight points off the top seven.
Things have been just as difficult for New York City on their travels with just one win from their last 10 away matches. While the draws are still rampant, there have been more defeats for Nick Cushing’s men, who have been beaten four times in that run.
How the bookies view it
Philadelphia Union are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 5/6 by 10bet. An unlikely victory for New York City is valued at 3/1 by William Hill while a draw is also set at odds of 3/1 by BoyleSports.
Head to head
New York City have a 10-9 edge with two draws from 21 previous matches against Philadelphia Union. However, Philadelphia have won the last four meetings and claimed a 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in May with Daniel Gazdag getting one of the goals.
Players to watch
With Julian Carranza set to miss Sunday’s clash following a red card last time out, Daniel Gazdag will be the one to watch for Philadelphia Union. The attacker has nine MLS goals this season and having found the net in the last two meetings with New York City, could be backed at 21/10 by William Hill to maintain his scoring run.
Talles Magno often leads the line for New York City and while not as prolific as Philadelphia's attackers, could be worth keeping an eye on. Paddy Power has the striker at odds of 9/2 to get on the score sheet on Sunday.
Anything else catch the eye?
The last two meetings between Philadelphia Union and New York City have produced over 3.5 goals and a repeat is priced at 2/1 by Paddy Power. Over 2.5 goals is valued at 4/5 by bet365 while William Hill is offering odds of 8/11 on both teams to score.
Philadelphia Union have claimed comfortable wins in the last two meetings with New York City and given their goalscoring record at Subaru Park, a -1 handicap can be considered at 2/1 by Betfred.
This MLS match between Philadelphia Union and New York City FC will be played on Jul 16, 2023 and kick off at 00:30. Check below for our tipsters best Philadelphia Union vs New York City FC prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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