The New York Red Bulls are back in action on Saturday afternoon (6pm ET), and they’ll be looking to extend what is starting to look like an impressive run. Facing an out-of-form Inter Miami side at Red Bull Arena ought to be the perfect opportunity for the hosts to record back-to-back wins following their victory against Cincinnati last time out.
Here we go into this MLS game in depth with our preview, betting predictions and, at the end, value picks of the American-friendly sports betting companies’ odds.
For the Red Bulls things have gone swimmingly of late. They are now unbeaten in five, three of which they have won. Defensively, Saturday’s hosts have really tightened up, conceding no more than once in each of their last five, keeping a clean sheet in three out of five. Having played with an element of control against sides such as the Philadelphia Union and NYCFC in recent weeks, Gerhard Struber’s men should fancy themselves to do well here.
After a period of improvement, Inter Miami have once again slipped. The visitors come into this fixture off the back of four straight defeats. Not only have they been getting beat of late, but Phil Neville’s men have gone back to their old ways in terms of offensive output, scoring in just one of their last four games. At the other end, they’ve conceded 11 goals during that time, so it’s fair to say that Saturday’s visitors are out of form right now.
Hard to beat at home
Somewhat strangely, NYRB’s wins of late have come on the road, but that’s not to say that they’re poor at home. Struber’s men are without a win in four at Red Bull Arena, which isn’t exactly great, though they’re far from easy to get the better of. Only three of the Red Bull’s 13 home matches have ended in defeat, while defensively, they don’t exactly give much away, conceding either one or none in 11 out of 13, including their last six in front of a home crowd. Such defensive stats bode well ahead of a match against an Inter Miami side that continues to struggle in the final third.
Offensive issues
In terms of points collected, the visitors haven’t exactly floundered away from home this season, claiming 15, which is the third highest in the Eastern Conference, but they’ve been one of the worst in the division when it comes to goals scored, scoring only 11 times in 13 travelling fixtures.
Only one team in the east has scored fewer times away from the comforts of home. It’s worrying that Phil Neville’s men have scored in only two of their last six on the road, while as touched on in this preview above, they arrive here having scored just one goal in their last four, failing to score in either of their last two.
Previous renewal
This will be the second time that the pair have met this season, and if things go as they did back in September, Inter Miami are in for a tough night. Less than a month ago, the Red Bulls travelled south and returned with all three points, scoring four and conceding none in the process. Their performance was convincing, and their victory was uncompromising. A red card for Jorge Figal certainly helped NYRB to run riot on that occasion, but even with the full complement of players on the pitch, the David Beckham backed franchise would have struggled. A lack of attacking potency cost Miami on that occasion and with no evidence of improvement since, it’s tough to see a vastly different result occurring on Saturday.
NYRB vs Inter Miami: How do we bet this fixture?
A bet on the hosts to win is hard to avoid, though we shouldn’t necessarily assume that they’ll do so in high-scoring fashion. At the current odds, the best bet appears to be ‘New York Red Bulls to Win & Under 3.5 Goals’.
Yes, Saturday’s hosts ran riot down in Miami around three weeks ago, but they were aided by the red card, and while their home record is vastly superior to Inter Miami’s on the road, especially in terms of attacking output, they’ve not exactly been battering teams at Red Bull Arena. Moreover, for all their dreadful offensive efforts have cost them, the visitors can keep things respectable, conceding more than once on just two occasions on the road this season. The fact that less than four goals have been scored in none of New York Red Bulls’ last six at home, as well as in only one of Inter Miami’s last six on the road, further fuels the selection.
Klimala can do it
Polish forward Patryk Klimala has really come into his own as the season has rolled on. Scoring three in his last six, the man up top for the Red Bulls has been in fine form of late, while he scored when the teams last met. An average of 0.51 expected goals per 90 tells us that the 23-year-old is a regular threat, as does the fact that he’s currently averaging 3.79 shots per game. If it’s a player prop that you’re after, then with limited Major League Soccer action on offer this weekend, you’ll be hard pushed to find a better goal-scorer bet that Klimala.
So these are our NYRB vs Inter Miami predictions and betting picks’ verdict for this MLS game matchup:
- New York Red Bulls to win & under 3.5 goals @ +125 with Bovada. It is +115 with Intertops.
- Patryk Klimala to score anytime @ +150 with Bovada or Intertops.
Bradley Gibbs writes on MLS and other global soccer leagues for USA Betting. He also pens betting guides and strategy. Bradley has written for numerous sites and publications including Just Bookies and the Racing & Football Outlook.