New York Red Bulls vs San Jose Earthquakes Predictions

Can the New York Red Bulls boost their season on Saturday? They come into this game aiming to build on their draw at Columbus Crew, their only game of the season so far. They’ve just crashed out of the Champions League after a midweek defeat, and the Red Bulls are now aiming to bounce back after winning just one of their last four matches. They are expected to be serious contenders in MLS this term, which makes Saturday’s clash with last season’s worst side a huge mismatch.

Following back to back losses to Santos Laguna, the hosts will be looking for a straightforward victory in this game. They’ll be glad that they’re back at home, where they have a solid record stretching back to last season. The Red Bulls had one of the most formidable home grounds, as they won 14 of 17 matches at their own stadium. They were able to average over two goals per game in that stretch, part of an excellent campaign which saw them hit 62 goals overall. They should have more than enough to put a couple past San Jose, given the problems which the visitors are facing ahead of this trip.

San Jose were the distant bottom side in MLS last term. They haven’t shown any major change in the new campaign, which has left them with no points from their opening two matches. The Earthquakes have lost two from two in front of their home support, while they make this trip after an awful away record in the 2018 campaign. They were beaten 12 times on the road last season; 21 times overall in 34 matches. They had huge problems across the season, while they have lost their last two encounters with the Red Bulls.

The away side have lost their last five away games in MLS, while they’ve lost seven of their last eight trips. San Jose have conceded in every away trip since August 2017, which isn’t great ahead of this visit to one of the league’s best defences. New York Red Bulls conceded just 10 goals at home last season, winning to nil in their last seven outings at their own ground. They’ve had plenty of controlled victories in front of their own support, a run which we expect to continue when they clash with the out of form Earthquakes.

During that home winning run, the hosts have seen fewer than four goals in all of their victories. They’re on an eight-game winning run at home in MLS, all of those games have seen under 3.5 goals, while 71% of their home matches this term have seen under 3.5 goals scored. The visitors saw under 3.5 goals in 65% of their trips last season, while 75% of their away defeats last term saw under four goals. With that in mind, a home win and under 3.5 goals is our pick here.