Two sides in desperate need of points will come head-to-head on Saturday evening at Red Bull Arena. Three points is a must for New York Red Bulls in order to remain in contention for the Supporter’s Shield heading into an all-important clash against Atlanta United, who made use of their game in hand to extend their lead at the top, next weekend.
A once intimidating Red Bulls defense has lost its wings as they have conceded six in their last two matches. With the playoffs in eye’s sight, now is not the best of times for holes to be appearing in the armour. Chris Armas needs to rectify this issue promptly if the Red Bulls have true aspirations of getting their hands on a piece of silverware at the end of the season. If the defense can regain its form, Bradley Wright-Phillips seems determined to single-handedly do the rest, with him coming off a hat-trick against D.C. United last time out.
Hanging onto their playoff hopes for dear life, Toronto, similarly, have been unable to keep the ball out of their own net. After a record-setting campaign in 2017, they have struggled to maintain their dominance. Currently sitting nine points outside of the playoff positions with just six games remaining, they come into this game with a point to prove after losing to Tigres UANL 3-1 midweek in the first Campeones Cup – a third straight game in which three-plus goals were conceded. This desperate team will provide the home side with a stern test, preparing them for more meaningful fixtures on the horizon.
Last time these two teams met, Kemar Lawrence scored the game-winner early in a forgettable match at Toronto. Last season, the two teams played an intense playoff series that involved a locker room brawl and multiple red cards. Toronto ultimately prevailed on away goals, but both teams will surely remember the bad blood and could provide an entertaining affair on this occasion.
Match Information
Date: Saturday, September 22, 2018
Kick-off: 17:00 (ET) | 22:00 (BST)
Venue: Red Bull Arena
Referee: Kevin Stott
Broadcasting: MSG (New York) | ESPN + (USA) | TSN 2 (Canada)
Previous Meetings
05.19.17: New York Red Bulls 1-1 Toronto
09.30.17: Toronto 4-2 New York Red Bulls
10.30.17: New York Red Bulls 1-2 Toronto
11.05.17: Toronto 0-1 New York Red Bulls
07.01.18: Toronto 0-1 New York Red Bulls
Current Form
Toronto
Montreal Impact 3-1 (H) | Portland Timbers 2-0 (A) | Los Angeles 2-4 (H) | LA Galaxy 5-3 (H) | Tigres UANL 1-3 (H)
New York Red Bulls
New York City 1-1 (A) | D.C. United 1-0 (H) | Houston Dynamo 1-0 (H) | Montreal Impact 3-0 (A) | D.C. United 3-3 (A)
Team News
Toronto
Injured: Chris Mavinga (hamstring) | Drew Moor (calf)
New York Red Bulls
Injured: Kyle Duncan (anterior cruciate ligament) | Florian Valot (anterior cruciate ligament) | Vincent Bezecourt (medial collateral ligament)
Predicted Line-ups
Toronto
Bono
van der Wiel – Zavaleta – Bradley – Hagglund – Morrow
Delgado – Osorio – Chapman
Altidore – Giovinco
New York Red Bulls
Robles
Murillo – Long – Parker – Lawrence
Adams – Davis
Rzatkowski – Romero Gamarra – Royer
Wright-Phillips
Score Prediction
New York Red Bulls 2-1 Toronto
