Los Angeles FC and New York City will clash on Saturday, May 29 at Banc of California Stadium. It will mark only their fourth head-to-head meeting and their first since January 2020.
Los Angeles FC vs New York City
When: Saturday, May 29 – 14:00 PDT
Where: Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, California
Weather: Cloudy, 23°C
Referee: Kevin Stott
Los Angeles FC must feel confident heading into their seventh fixture of the season as they can now breathe easy knowing their injury problems are becoming lighter.
On the other side, New York City can’t be too happy with their recent showings and should be motivated to turn things around here. But can they do it against the Lons Angeles side at Banc of California Stadium?
Bright Days Ahead for Los Angeles FC
Los Angeles FC have been struggling with injuries this season, but it seems like their concerns have eased a bit. The only two players missing for the hosts tonight are Kwadwo Opoku and Erik Duenas, which isn’t great, but it’s better than how it was.
After he was out with a hamstring injury for LA FC fixtures against LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo, and Sounders FC, Striker Carlos Vela will return for this match. He has appeared in his side’s last outing with Colorado Rapids, albeit got subbed out in 59’.
Vela will be the main threat for Los Angeles FC, who New York City should keep an eye on. He, alongside Corey Baird and Diego Rossi have already produced five goals this season, and we can expect a lot more from the Brazilian now that he’s injury-free.
Last term, Vela scored nine goals across 13 fixtures in the MLS (4), CONCACAF Champions League (5) and MLS Cup Playoffs (0). In 2018/19 Major League Soccer Vela received the MLS Golden Boot for scoring 31 goals in 34 games, to which he added four more in five appearances in the US Open Cup and MLS Playoffs. Suffice to say, Vela is the man to watch.
We could talk about Los Angeles FC’s iffy showing early into the season. They’re 2-2-2 with seven goals and just as many conceded. What’s more, LAFC are 1-2 in their last three, albeit they have won against Colorado Rapids (2-1).
Those results don’t concern us too much, considering Vela wasn’t in the team for three of the last four.
New York City’s Struggles
New York City enter this match with a 2-2-2 record on the season. While not a terrible record, Ronny Deila’s side didn’t look too good of late.
They’re 0-2-1 in their last three, with two draws against Orlando City (1-1) and Toronto FC (1-1), and a 1-2 loss against Columbus Crew on Sunday. That’s quite a significant drop in form compared to what New York have been showing early into the season.
After dropping the ball in the MLS opener against DC United (1-2), New York FC demolished FC Cincinnati (5-0) and picked up a big 2-0 victory against Philadelphia Union. They’re now dropping points against much weaker sides.
What’s more, New York will miss Anton Tinnerholm, Alexander Callens, Gedion Zelalem and Heber. On a more positive note, Thiago Andrade got his visa cleared and will join the team, but it’s unlikely he will play tonight.
Los Angeles FC vs New York FC Betting Picks
These sides last clashed in January 2020 in a friendly match that ended with a 3-1 victory for Los Angeles FC. The previous two both finished in 2-2 draws.
Los Angeles FC obviously have the talent to match New York, and that’s even more obvious now that they have Vela back on the team. New York have conceded six goals this season and four in their last three.
That makes us very concerned about their ability to stop LAFC, who have managed seven goals while playing without their key striker for half of those games.
We like the hosts far better. Los Angeles FC take this one with plenty to spare.
Prediction: Los Angeles FC -0.50 Asian Handicap
Don’t forget to check out our other MLS betting previews, which have been provided for free on our website. For a limited time, you can also test out our premium betting service free of charge.
