At the outset of the year, most figured that both New York City FC and the Montreal Impact were going to be in the thick of the playoff race. Few figured that they'd both be threatening to win the Eastern Conference regular season title. Depending upon what happens in the midweek fixtures, three points for one of these teams could vault one into first place beyond the halfway point of the season.
Catch all of the great betting lines for this match with the MLS odds at BookMaker.eu.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Impact absolutely should be heavily favored in this match due to the fact that they're at home and are near the top of the table, but perhaps the margin should be a little closer than you think. The Impact are only a modest 4-3-1 at home this year, while New York City FC has been the surprise of the season largely thanks to its stellar 5-1-3 mark on the road.
Both of these teams are combining to average over three goals per game, so the total which will surely be set at 2.5 will end up featuring some pretty chalky vig on the over.
KEY INJURIES
The big question for the Impact is whether Didier Drogba is going to be in the fold or not. He's got a thigh injury which has him questionable for play in the middle of the week. He's not much for playing on this turf in Montreal anyway, and playing on short notice off of an injury probably isn't conducive to him being on the pitch for 90 minutes in this one.
Montreal is also playing without Marco Donadel, who should be back at some point in the not-too-distant future from his ankle injury.
NYCFC has stayed relatively healthy all season long, and that's part of the reason it has had so much success. The Sky Blues are still without Connor Brandt and Steven Mendoza, both of which have long-term injury problems. Aside from that though, they've got an incredibly healthy team.
LIVE BETTING
The Impact have gone five straight matches without a loss, and the last time they were beaten at home was back in April. Still, there are concerns at the back for sure. Evan Bush hasn't had a good season in net, and the team has had many problems trying to find center backs to keep his pipes relatively clean. It's a poor combination to try to overcome, and in a match like this against such a dangerous NYCFC attack, this could end up being problematic.
The City streak came to a stop last weekend when it was beaten on the road by Sporting Kansas City 3-1. It wasn't a match to be proud of for sure, but it's not like a loss to a Western Conference team on the road is the end of the world. This is the end of a tough three-game road trip for NYCFC, but this is the type of match which could really send a statement out to the rest of the league.
QUICK PICK
David Villa, Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo could all play huge roles here for New York City FC. Like we said just a bit earlier, winning this match on the road would be a real statement for sure. If City can win this fixture on the road against a top contender in the East at the end of a three-game road trip, this would be massive.
We just don't like the vulnerability which the Impact have shown at the back both at home and away. If they don't get their act together, they're going to be pressed for sure. We love the over in this match, and we think City can get the spoils as well.
MLS Odds: New York City FC 3, Montreal Impact 1
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 matchup between the Montreal Impact and New York City FC will kick off on Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. ET. This fixture from Saputo Stadium can be seen live on ESPN.
