MLS: Charlotte vs. Austin FC Preview, Odds, Prediction

One highly interesting clash takes place at Bank of America Stadium, where Charlotte hosts Austin FC. Neither side managed to provide consistency in the recent games, which is why they need a win here to boost the morale and keep pace with the rest of the rivals in their respective divisions. Charlotte is outside the playoff zone in the East but not far away from that seventh place which leads to the postseason. On the other hand, Austin is third in the West, presenting a surprise for many right now.

Preview

Charlotte (+115) lost the last game, which occurred in Montreal, 2-1. Prior to that, they had one draw in Columbus, 1-1 a win at home over the Red Bulls, 2-0, which preceded two consecutive losses. So, in general, they aren’t in some shiny form, to be honest.

Regarding the efficiency, they both score and allow goals, which happened in six of the past seven events this unit played. Also, seven of the last eight saw a moderate efficiency, meaning 2 or 3 goals.

The positive thing for the boys from Charlotte is the fact that they play much better at home than on the road, and that they have six victories in North Carolina over the most recent seven MLS games. In four of them, they either scored two or more goals or kept clean sheets.

Austin FC (+230) had three games in a row without a victory before beating Montreal on the road, 0-1, and playing 2-2 against FC Dallas at home. They, too, haven’t been quite consistent lately but are still holding on near the top of the conference.

Austin likes to play offensive-minded football, and they aren’t afraid to concede a goal because of the solid attack that usually delivers. Though, we need to admit that the defense has been a problem for head coach Josh Wolff.

In the last four games, Austin allowed 10 goals, conceding four apiece against Pachuca (club friendly) and LA Galaxy. Only one clean sheet in the previous nine contests tells us a lot about the struggles in that area of the team. Logically, the overall efficiency of their games is high, and eight of the latest ten have ended with over 2.5 goals.

Latest News

Adam Armour is injured for the hosts and is the only player out for Charlotte.

On the other side, Jhojan Valencia won’t play for Austin FC.

Head to Head Games

This is the first head-to-head meeting between these two young franchises. So we are witnessing a sort of history tonight at Bank of America Stadium.

Prediction

The best possible thing to do here is to bet on both teams to score. Even though Charlotte plays solid football, we can’t get over the fact that Austin didn’t score only once on the road this season. Meanwhile, they’ve kept the clean sheet away from home in the most recent game against CF Montreal, and that is it. So both teams scoring is the best possible choice, and the odds on that are currently at -125, which is a superb offer.

Pick: Both teams to score -125