Months before New York City FC ever made its appearance in the MLS, the club's founding supporters were up in arms creating what has budded into a vicious rivalry with the New York Red Bulls. City has yet to get even a point in two games against its cross-river rivals in two tries, and the third time doesn't seem like it is going to be the charm if you ask the oddsmakers this Sunday.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Red Bulls enter this match at 9-6-6 with the second most points in the Eastern Conference, and they have been particularly good at home, outscoring teams 14-8 along the way.
Not surprisingly, against one of the teams on the wrong side of the playoff race in the East, 6-6-10 NYCFC, New York is lined as a -140 favorite on the moneyline.
The oddsmakers are calling for a high scoring match as well. The number to beat is set at a flat 3.
KEY INJURIES
The two Empire State squads have had vastly different injury woes this year.
The Red Bulls are only playing without Ronald Zubar and Chris Duvall, the latter of which is the only real long-term injury the team has had to endure in 2015.
City meanwhile, has been playing without George John, Tony Taylor and Connor Brandt for the long run, and all three of Chris Wingert, Khiry Shelton and Ryan Meara are up in the air for this weekend as well.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"It would have been nice to come on with the team winning. Considering I haven't trained much, it would have been better. It was nice to get on the pitch. It was my debut. But you always want to get a win, so it takes the gloss off of it a little bit." – New York City FC midfielder Frank Lampard on his debut match last week against Montreal
RECENT FORM
The Red Bulls have spent a lot of time on the road of late, as this is going to be their first match in Harrison since July 11. The road trip has been incredibly successful, as New York beat Orlando City and Philadelphia before traveling to the Great White North and getting a point from Montreal on Wednesday night.
NYRB has now scored at least one goal in 10 consecutive matches.
New York City has played some quite high-scoring matches of late. The club played to five goals against Montreal and eight against both Orlando and Toronto FC just since the middle of July.
The results though, have been mixed. NYCFC has a win against Orlando City to show for its work, but that is its only win since July 4.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
There is going to be a point when David Villa, Lampard and Andrea Pirlo are able to make magic together for NYCFC, but that point isn't quite yet.
Lampard didn't look great in his first match in the MLS, and until he is able to play at least a full hour or more and is able to prove that he can start, he'll be a non-entity at best.
City is just too banged up right now. The Red Bulls are the far superior club, and we suspect that Bradley Wright Phillips, who has three goals in two games already against NYCFC, will have yet another strong match to lead the hosts to victory.
New York 3, NYCFC 0
BookMaker has live MLS odds for every clash of the season. You can find a moneyline price on the New York Red Bulls of -140 and a total of 3 right now! BookMaker is also going to have multiple betting options available for this nationally-televised match. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, total and spread. Log in and start gambling during the soccer game now!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The fixture between the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC will take place at 7:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 9, 2015 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. The game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1.
