MLS: New York Red Bulls vs. Orlando City Preview, Odds, Prediction

The New York Red Bulls have two straight losses and hope to stop that streak against the undefeated Orlando City. This is going to be one hell of a task for Gerhard Struber’s boys, who aren’t playing very well recently, and on top of that, host one of the best teams in the MLS League. The Lions are one extremely tough team, with several superstars who left a huge mark in Europe. This will be a true test for the young Red Bulls, who didn’t start the season as planned.

Preview

New York Red Bulls (+125, 2-4-0 6pts) have two defeats in a row, as mentioned before, both of them on the road. The first was in Philly against Union, 1-0, and the second against New England 3-1.

In either of these games, the Bulls didn’t look good at all, and to make it even worse, Aaron Long, the focal point of their back line, tore his Achilles and won’t be available for quite some time.

This team mostly plays matches with a moderate efficiency, as all of their three contests in the Big Apple saw 2 or 3 goals. Also, the only two victories this year were at Red Bull Arena, against Chicago Fire and Toronto FC, both 2-0.

Orlando City (+195, 3-0-3, 12pts) is one of the toughest teams in the MLS in terms of efficiency. Since taking over this team, Oscar Pareja imposed an ultra-defensive style of play, focusing on the protection of its own goal, and lowering the tempo of the game.

The Lions haven’t lost the last 10 games, including the preseason, and to tell you right away, their matches during that period were against the MLS teams only.

Four of six league games this unit played saw Orlando keeping clean sheets, and five concluded with under 2.5 goals, which is a logical outcome having in mind their style of play. The Lions’ last two games were minimal wins over DC United in Washington and Toronto City at home.

Latest News

Aaron Long tore his Achilles, and he faces a long pause that would probably force him to miss the remainder of the season. Apart from him, Diarra, Pendant, and Valot are also out. Andres Reyes is suspended.

On the other side, the Brazilian star Pato is out because of his knee injury, while Rosell has abdominal issues. The Portuguese veteran Nani is suspended for this clash.

Head to Head Games

The previous two games these teams played were in October 2020. Orlando won the match in Florida, 3-1, while the one at Red Bull Arena finished without winners, 1-1.

Prediction

Pareja will appear without his two biggest stars, which will only cause him to take an even more defensive-minded approach to this game. Expect to see a strong block in the midfield, probably with five players, two defensive midfielders, which will use as a wall for Red Bulls’ players. Our suggestion for this contest is both teams not to score, with the odds at +105, which is a gift for us. Also, you can try with under 2.5 goals, which is even safer, and the odds here are pretty good as well, -110.

Pick: Both teams not to score +105

            Under 2.5 goals -110