NYCFC vs. Chicago Fire Prediction, Preview, and Odds - 10/27/21
New York City vs. Chicago Fire
The MLS betting action continues Wednesday, October 27, with plenty of interesting markets to choose from, as 22 teams take the field. New York City hosts Chicago Fire at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, so we’re taking a closer look at this Eastern Conference showdown. The Pigeons are listed as firm favorites to win this battle and get revenge for a tough loss at Chicago in September. These two foes meet each other for the third time in 2021, and New York City has earned just a point in its previous two encounters with Chicago.
The Pigeons dismantled DC United to break out of their funk
New York City is coming off an impressive 6-0 thrashing of DC United at home this past Saturday. The Pigeons put an end to their six-game winless streak, scoring three times through the first 11 minutes of the game and finishing with a whopping 15 shots on target.
The Boys in Blue are occupying the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference with 44 points from 31 games (W12, D8, L11) and a 51:34 goal difference. They are tied with DC United for the second-highest scoring offense in the East, but the Pigeons are only one point ahead of the No. 8 seed.
Valentin Castellanos leads the way for New York City with 15 goals and seven assists in 29 appearances so far this season. He scored a brace in that 6-0 win last Saturday to snap his four-game skid, as Castellanos has accounted for four goals and zero assists over his previous seven apps. The Pigeons are without right-back Anton Tinnerholm (Achilles), but all other players are ready to go.
The Fire aim for their third straight victory
The Chicago Fire are eliminated from the playoff contention, sitting at the 12th spot of the Eastern Conference table with 34 points from 32 games (W9, D7, L16) and a 36:51 goal difference. They trail the seventh-seeded Atlanta United by nine points, so there’s nothing to play for in their remaining two games against New York City and Columbus.
The Fire appointed Frank Klopas as a caretaker manager on the last day of September, one day after a 2-0 home victory over New York City. Since then, Chicago has earned seven points in four outings while tallying an 8:8 goal difference.
Frank Klopas’ boys have won two in a row, defeating Real Salt Lake at home, 1-0, and Cincinnati FC on the road, 4-3. Robert Beris scored the winning goal against the Claret and Cobalt and added a brace against Cincinnati, so the 30-year-old striker now has eight goals on his season tally. Klopas doesn’t have serious selection problems and should field his best eleven Wednesday against New York Citi.
The Pick: New York City -1.0
The hosts shouldn’t have too many problems winning this game. On paper, the Pigeons are a better team than the Fire. Last weekend, they finally found a way to break out of their slump and drop six goals on DC
United. They have a lot on the table, while the Fire have nothing to play for besides their pride, but the odds on the hosts to win are not attractive at all (-225).
Chicago’s defense has been pretty much awful all season, so taking the Pigeons -1.0 at -143 makes sense. If you want to take the risk, go with the hosts to win by two or more goals at +118. New York City has won five straight home games against Chicago, and three of those five wins have come by two or more goals.
Total: Over 3.0 Goals
Before last weekend’s 6-0 dismantling of DC United, the Pigeons’ offense had struggled mightily, scoring just a couple of goals across six games. None of those six contests had more than a couple of goals in total, but this one against Chicago should be a high-scoring affair.
New York City has bagged 13 goals over its last six outings at home. On the other side, Chicago has allowed 15 goals over its last six showings on the road while scoring seven in a return.