With seven Major League Soccer games still to play, both New York Red Bulls and Inter Miami can climb the Eastern Conference table, making it into the top seven for a playoff position.
The Red Bulls currently sit six points behind Montreal, New York City and DC United, while Inter Miami are eight points away from the playoff positions, but Gerhard Struber's side and Phil Neville's team have a game in hand on the teams above them.
Match preview
© Reuters
New York Red Bulls enter Saturday's fixture on a five-game unbeaten run, including three clean sheets in that time, meaning that the Red Bulls have the third best defensive stats in the Eastern Conference.
Last time out, Struber's side only needed a single strike from Andrew Gutman to secure three points on the road against Cincinnati, and that was the seventh consecutive game New York Red Bulls have scored in.
However, their form at the Red Bull Arena has been frustrating in recent times, failing to win at home in their last four attempts, dating back to August 19.
The Red Bulls have already surpassed their points total from last season, when they finished 12th in the Eastern Conference, but they will be aiming for more considering that they are close to a top-seven finish, and carrying on the momentum which they have built in the last few weeks will certainly help their cause.
© Reuters
In comparison, Inter Miami head into Saturday's clash in poor form, losing four back-to-back games prior to this week, and failing to score in three of those four defeats.
Neville's side created a fair amount of chances on goal in their last outing against Portland Timbers, but they fell to another 1-0 loss after Jaroslaw Niezgoda found the back of the net in the 83rd minute.
That game against Portland may have proven to be more costly than just the defeat, as three defensive players, centre-back Nico Figal, midfielder Gregore and wing-back Brek Shea, were all forced off the field with injuries in the second half.
Earlier in the season, Miami went on a six-game losing streak, and it is likely that if they do not break their current poor run of form, with not many games of this campaign left, Neville's team will miss out on a playoff place.
Saturday's fixture will be Inter Miami's third game in a row having to travel away from the Lockhart Stadium, but that should not faze Neville's team, who have picked up nearly as many points away from home as they have in Florida.
The Red Bulls will be looking to emulate their performance and result from the last time these two teams met in September, when Struber's side ran out as 4-0 winners against Inter Miami, who did play more than half of that game with 10 players.
- L
- W
- D
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Young Uruguayan defender Lucas Monzon has been suffering with a hamstring injury since the middle of September, and he is unavailable for selection on Saturday, but is closing in on a return to fitness.
Red Bulls centre-back Aaron Long also continues to be sidelined after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in May, ruling him out of action for the rest of the season.
Last time out Struber opted to play a defensive back four, whereas in previous matches a back three has been preferred, and the Red Bulls are expected to start with Gutman, Sean Nealis and Andres Reyes as a defensive trio.
After scoring in three consecutive games a few weeks ago, striker Patryk Klimala has not found the back of the net in Red Bulls' last three matches, and the 23-year-old will want to get back onto the scoresheet this weekend.
Neville will hope that Figal, Gregore and Shea can overcome the knocks that forced them off the pitch last time out, otherwise they will be joining Ian Fray, Joevin Jones and Ventura Alvarado in the physio room.
Kieran Gibbs is likely to start in the left wing-back position in place of Shea, and Blaise Matuidi could come into the midfield if Gregore is unavailable for selection.
New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:
Miguel; Gutman, Reyes, Nealis; Tolkin, Davis, Yearwood, Duncan; Fernandez, Klimala, Casseres
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
Marsman; Makoun, Leerdam, Pirez; Gibbs, Chapman, Matuidi, Pizarro, Morgan; Higuain, Robinson
We say: New York Red Bulls 2-0 Inter Miami
After losing four consecutive games, Inter Miami could be starting to see their playoff hopes fading away, while New York Red Bulls are on the rise, which they can continue with three vital points on Saturday.
The Red Bulls will also be confident after the result which they earned last time they faced Inter Miami, and being at home could give them an extra advantage this weekend.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a New York Red Bulls win with a probability of 52.78%. A draw had a probability of 27.2% and a win for Inter Miami had a probability of 19.99%.
The most likely scoreline for a New York Red Bulls win was 1-0 with a probability of 16.1%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (11.42%) and 2-1 (8.65%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.19%), while for a Inter Miami win it was 0-1 (8.59%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 16.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for New York Red Bulls in this match.
