New York Red Bulls vs NYCFC Odds & Preview – August 20
- Hudson River Derby resumes Thursday night at Red Bull Arena, with the Red Bulls hosting New York City FC
- While NYCFC advanced to quarter-finals at the MLS Is Back tournament, Red Bulls excited after the group stage
- Read on for the full odds, match preview and best bet for the game
To say the two New York teams in Major League Soccer have had a mixed 2020 would be a fair comment. On the one hand, New York City FC managed to scrape through the group stage at the MLS Is Back tournament by the skin of their teeth, and deposed of reigning Eastern Conference champions Toronto FC before exiting against eventual champions Portland.
But with just one regular-season win to their name along with four losses, the team currently sits second from bottom in the Eastern Conference.
Red Bulls vs NYCFC Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total at DraftKings |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Red Bulls | -0.5 (+165) | +163 | O 2.5 (-141) |
| New York City FC | +0.5 (-200) | +160 | U 2.5 (+112) |
| Draw | N/A | +240 | N/A |
Odds taken August 19
The Red Bulls, on the other hand, didn’t make it out of their group, but their one win down in Orlando, combined with the four points they picked up before the pandemic hit, leaves them sitting sixth in the East as the MLS regular season resumes for both teams Thursday night at 7:00 pm ET at Red Bull Arena.
Ready to write the next chapter 📖
New York Derby // Thursday @ 7 PM on @MSGNetworks #RBNYvNYC | #RBNY pic.twitter.com/SDa6F5fiHM
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) August 18, 2020
Can Red Bulls Right the Ship?
One of the principal reasons behind the Red Bulls’ early exit in Orlando, where they suffered back-to-back shutout losses to Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati, was the team’s failure to get on the scoresheet.
The team has attempted to address that lack of goal-scoring since by signing 24-year-old Ghanaian forward Samuel Tetteh on loan from Red Bull Salzburg, along with picking up former England youth international Dru Yearwood from English Championship club Brentford.
Former @WAFAcademySC striker Samuel Tetteh's stupendous free kick in FC Liefering big win pic.twitter.com/UkOQWmmYPl
— Ghanasoccernet.com (@Ghanasoccernet) August 7, 2016
While those signings may well bolster team morale, neither of those players will be available to suit up Thursday night, leaving head coach Chris Armas to select from the same group of attackers that has managed just five goals in fives games this season.
However, the team does have home comforts to draw on this time out. Three of the five goals the Red Bulls have scored this campaign came in a 3-2 season-opening win against FC Cincinnati, the lone game they have played at home. In games against NYCFC at Red Bull Arena, the Red Bulls also have a sparkling record of seven wins, one draw and one loss to instill confidence in them. They’ve also outscored their rival 16-6 at the venue.
Red Bulls vs NYCFC 2020 MLS Stats
| 2 | Wins | 1 |
| 2 | Losses | 4 |
| 1 | Draws | 0 |
| 5 | Goals For | 2 |
| 7 | Goals Against | 3 |
| 39 | Total Shots | 49 |
| 16 | Shots On Target | 22 |
Can Tournament High Lift Cityzens?
After sneaking into the knockout rounds at MLS Is Back by virtue of one extra goal scored to edge the Red Bulls as the fourth and final third-placed qualifier, NYCFC will be buoyed by winning a round, and decisively at that, making it to the last eight.
But with that high in the rear-view mirror, head coach Ronny Deila’s team will have to roll up their sleeves and fix the early-season woes that has it languishing just above Inter Miami in the Eastern Conference basement.
Including the MLS Is Back games, the Cityzens opened the MLS season with three consecutive 1-0 losses before adding a 3-1 defeat to Orlando City for good measure. But the team turned the corner somewhat with consecutive wins over Canadians clubs Montreal and Toronto before it bowed out of the tournament with a 3-1 loss to the Portland Timbers.
Goals which turned the Hudson River tide 🗽 #ForTheCity
Top Goals 🆚 #RBNY ⚽️⬇️ presented by @Etihad pic.twitter.com/uV2HbE6vRS
— New York City FC (@NYCFC) August 18, 2020
Deila will be hoping that his team can bring some of that Disney magic dust north in hopes of reviving its season. Key to those hopes will be the play of Argentine playmaker Maxi Moralez, who has registered 36 assists in the past two seasons.
Ronny Deila: Maxi Moralez is a question mark for Hudson River Derby. "He still has some issues with his calf." #NYCFC
— Jake Nisse (@jakenisse32) August 18, 2020
After being held off the scoresheet for the first five MLS games of the season, Moralez picked up a goal and as assist in the 3-1 win over Toronto, so the team will be crossing its fingers that the midfielder will be able to keep that going as the regular season resumes. However, he is a question mark to make the starting lineup for Thursday’s game.
Best Bet
While the Red Bulls largely dominated this rivalry in its early days of existence, winning six of the first seven head-to-head meetings, NYCFC have come back into it of late, with just two defeats to the Red Bulls in their last eight MLS contests.
In head-to-head games, the two teams also average 3.1 goals between them, but given the difficulties both seem to be having to find the back of the net so far this campaign, a draw seems the only likely result.
Pick: Draw (+240); U 2.5 (+112)
For the last 20 years, Paul Attfield has worked in sports media. Starting out in his native Britain with the likes of The Independent, he eventually switched continents, with his work appearing in the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Yahoo Sports since.
