Prediction: New York Red Bulls vs Charlotte

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 27/50

Bookmaker: ZetBet

New York Red Bulls host Charlotte in a fiery derby between two teams aiming to qualify for the MLS Western Conference playoffs. Separated by a single point in the standings, a win is needed to close in on leaders Inter Miami.
The match will be played at Red Bull Arena in front of more than 25,000 fans hoping to witness their favourites winning the game and consolidate their position in the rankings.

New York Red Bull

Coming from a shaky start to the season with a goalless draw at Charlotte, the New York Red Bulls quickly picked up their shooting in the next two rounds, which they managed to win. An excellent second half when the hosts scored the decisive goal against Houston Dynamo was followed by a conclusive success with the same score, at home to Dallas.

Furthermore, the Sandro Schwarz-coached team submitted their bid to win the Western Conference with a shock victory against Inter Miami. It was the match that brought Messi’s team back to reality, which despite huge investments, capitulated miserably to the New Yorkers (4-0 final score).

However, Messi managed to get his revenge after a few rounds in the match played and won in Miami (6-2) following a total surrender of New York RB’s defence that led to MVP Luis Suarez bagging a hat-trick. Despite this major setback, the hosts remained undefeated at home although they faced tough challenges against strong teams like Inter Miami, Dallas and Chicago Fire.

Furthermore, the two important wins against New England (4-2) and DC United (4-1) were not enough to get the edge of New York City in the local derby which concluded with a 2-0 in favour of the bitter rivals. Although the hosts took the lead in the first quarter, New York Red Bull got back into the game just before halftime. Still, the pressure exerted by New York City led to scoring the winning goal to the disappointment of the visiting team’s fans who were desperate for victory in the derby.

Team News

April was a bad month for Sandro Schwarz who saw three of his players injured in one week. Right winger Serge Ngoma has already missed seven games after sustaining a knee injury that will see him out of the Charlotte clash. Furthermore, central midfielder Peter Stroud and centre forward Roald Mitchell joined the recovery room and will not play against Charlotte.

Charlotte

Despite failing to impress this season, Charlotte has put on some good performances that propelled the visitors into a playoff position. Starting their campaign with a statement win against New York City, the visitors were brought back to reality by recording two defeats in the following three games. Losing away to Toronto and Nashville proved Charlotte’s problems on the road, struggles that were extended during the entire season which saw the visitors picking a single win this term.

The former Aston Villa manager who took charge of Charlotte managed to make important adjustments to his team’s defensive set-up that culminated in four games without conceding a goal. Although the back-line improvements are obvious, so are the recent upfront issues following the last two games in which Charlotte failed to score (D2).

Furthermore, the visitor’s team needs to do much better after developing a complex at Red Bull Arena after failing to win any of their three games played(L3D1).  

Team News

Dean Smith has all his players fit and ready to face New York Red Bul. Although his side’s defence is at top level, the strikers failed to hit the target in the last two rounds. Centre forward Patrick Agyemang will be keen to add his name to the scoreboard with the 4th goal of this campaign.

Key factors to consider

• The hosts lost the derby games against bitter rivals New York City (2-1)
• Sandro Schwarz’s team is undefeated this season at Red Bull Arena
• New York RB’s best home win came against Messi’s Inter Miami following an impressive performance that ended with 4-0 for the New Yorkers
• The visitors’ latest displays impressed following a six-game invincible run coupled with an excellent defence record with no goals conceded during this period
• Charlotte struggles on the road picking a single win away from home

Conclusion

Despite the impressive defensive setup with no goals conceded in the last five rounds, Dean Smith’s team resilience will be tested once more against a top team that has a lot of quality upfront. Scoring four goals past Inter Miami indicates the hosts will maintain constant pressure on the visitors’ team until they break the defensive line.

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 27/50

Bookmaker: ZetBet