NYCFC vs. Nashville SC Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/3/21

NYCFC plays host to Nashville SC on Sunday afternoon from Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, in a crucial Eastern Conference matchup. These two teams have only met twice all-time, with both being pretty new clubs to MLS. NYCFC won back in 2019 and then Nashville came away with a 3-1 win over NYCFC just last month in Tennessee. The earlier match this season saw red cards on both sides and even though NYCFC outshot Nashville 24-13 overall and shots on goal were even at seven each, Nashville was still able to take advantage of their opportunities and come away with the win. Nashville sits pretty comfortably in second place in the Eastern Conference while NYCFC is in sixth place heading into Sunday’s meeting, only in the playoffs if the season ended today based on goal differential. Nashville sits seven points clear o NYCFC and with the season drawing to a close, Sunday’s game could have massive playoff implications. NYCFC will love to get off to a quick start in the afternoon tile, while Nashville will be eyeing the season sweep of their Eastern Conference rival. Either way, the Eastern Conference standings could look different by the time Sunday’s game is over.

Nashville Growing In Confidence

With quite a few games remaining as fall continues and the end of the MLS season draws near, the Eastern Conference remains too early to call in terms of how the standings will look. Nashville though has to be feeling confident in their chances to make a splash and get some home games as MLC Cup slowly makes its approach. Nashville enters 19 points behind the New England Revolution for tops in the Eastern Conference but still has quite a bit to play for. They have 46 points in 27 games, with a plus-twenty goal differential, and sit four points ahead of third place and seven points ahead of Atlanta, the first team left out of the playoffs if the season ended today. Nashville is on a three-game unbeaten streak but has tied in two of those, coming off a home tie to Orlando during the week. Besides the loss to Toronto though on the road back on September 18th, Nashville has been on a strong run of form and at least appears to be a team with a serious ability to win the championship. Sunday’s game presents Nashville with the opportunity to build up some points against another potential playoff team and to help widen the gap and get slightly more comfortable as the playoffs approach.

Nashville has been lucky to remain one of the healthiest teams in Major League Soccer, according to the league’s availability report. All season long, especially of late, that has given them a massive advantage and that should carry through into Sunday’s game. Given the lack of depth, many of their opponents have been facing of late, Nashville’s ability to stay healthy and stay fresh has helped contribute to their success. Expect that depth and a full complement of players to shine through on Sunday afternoon.

Hany Mukhtar remains one of the top goal scorers in the league and leads the team with 13 goals and eight assists. Nipping on his heels though is C.J. Sapong, with ten goals and four assists. Nashville has remained one of the more dangerous attacking teams in the league given their wide array of scoring options and that will shine through on Sunday. The lack of household names hasn’t hurt Nashville so far this season and that won’t start on Sunday. Expect a big night from Nashville on the offensive side and fans will be excited to see the creativity of this team be on full display against NYCFC on Sunday.

NYCFC Fighting For Playoff Life

NYCFC remains right in the thick of things in regards to the playoff and despite having lost back-to-back games, still know that the playoffs are right around the corner. They’ve seen their last two games end in defeat to Chicago and to the New York Red Bulls, their rivals, and the difficulty of their schedule means that they can’t take for granted any opportunity to come away from a match with points. They enter Sunday’s match in a three-way tie from a points perspective in the Eastern Conference, level with the Philadelphia Union and Atlanta United. Luckily, goal differential has been their saving grace and if the season ended today, they’d be the sixth seed in the MLS Cup playoffs. Through 27 games, they have 39 points and a plus-12 goal differential, but they also know that the recent run of form isn’t nearly strong enough if they want to soon guarantee their spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. With their lack of success of late, Sunday’s game promises to be a massive opportunity for the community as a whole.

While their opponents come in as one of the healthiest teams in the league, NYCFC finds themselves in a similar boat. They remain one of the top offenses from a scoring standpoint and can be looked at again as team that nobody wants to see. Valentin Castellanos enters as the most dangerous threat, leading the team with 13 goals on the season. His ability to contribute off the bat and get along well with everyone has already proven to be an exciting aspect of of his game. With a host of others ready to contribute in a big way on Saturdays and Sundays, fans of the league will need to tune in to stay

Pick: Nashville SC (+320)

Nashville might be missing a few key pieces in Zimmerman now getting called into the U.S. Soccer camp, but besides him enter with a team that is full of talent and opportunity. Not only do they have the top scorer and attacking threat in Sunday’s matchup, but they also have a backline that has played a staggering amount of minutes together. Nashville has talent everywhere a fan night turns to and given the strong production that had been backed up week after week, expect Nashville to snag a win on the road.

Pick: Under

Even though there’s plenty of experience and scoring tempo to be found in the blueprint of both of these squads, the under remains the play. The last two times they met saw four goals or fewer scored in each matchup total, which will be the case on Sunday.