In the final Hudson River Derby of the 2024 MLS regular season, New York City FC travel to Red Bull Arena for a Saturday date with the New York Red Bulls.
These rivals are fighting for a top-four position in the Eastern Conference, with the Red Bulls currently fourth following a 2-2 draw with Atlanta United, while New York City remain three points behind them in seventh after claiming a 1-1 result versus Inter Miami.
Match preview
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Sandro Schwarz has four matches remaining to prepare the Red Bulls for what is likely to be another post-season appearance in 2024.
To ensure their spot in the MLS Cup playoff, the New Jersey-based club need a victory this weekend, guaranteeing their place in the post-season for a 15th successive campaign.
Another post-season appearance may be in the cards for this team, but at the moment, they look anything but a playoff team, currently on a five-match winless run in this competition.
With their single point last week, the Red Bulls were able to surpass their points total from the previous campaign (43), and on Saturday, they can match the total number of league triumphs from a year ago (11).
Lately, Red Bull Arena has not been much of a fortress for this team, who have won just one of their previous six domestic home matches but have still equalled their number of MLS victories in Harrison from 2023 (seven).
The Red Bulls have won four of their previous five competitive fixtures versus NYCFC at Red Bull Arena without a goal conceded in any of those victories.
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Just days after a lopsided defeat against the Philadelphia Union (5-1), the Boys in Blue showed plenty of character against Miami, holding the highest-scoring team in the league to just one goal for a second time this season.
Heading into this encounter, the Pigeons need six more points to assure themselves a place in the post-season for the first time since 2022.
Nick Cushing's men are winless in nine successive league contests but have managed to salvage a point on six of those occasions.
Their draw against the Herons was the sixth time in 2024 that they came back to earn a result after conceding the opening goal, claiming 10 points domestically from a losing position this year.
They are winless in their last eight away matches in this competition, with their previous domestic triumph taking place in May (1-0 at the New England Revolution).
NYCFC have a chance to end the 2024 regular season with a 100% record against the Red Bulls in MLS, marking only the second time they would have achieved that in their history (2022).
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Team News
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In their draw with Atlanta, the Red Bulls were missing Sean Nealis and Wikelman Carmona with thigh knocks, while Emil Forsberg who has missed time because of a foot injury, was an unused substitute the last time out.
Kyle Duncan underwent knee surgery earlier in the year and will not return in 2024, while Roald Mitchell is still dealing with a knee injury.
Dante Vanzeir scored the opening goal for the Red Bulls last week, with Elias Manoel rescuing them with an equaliser in the 97th minute.
A leg knock kept Birk Risa on the NYCFC sidelines against Miami though he trained with the team this week and Malachi Jones was again unavailable because of a broken tibia.
Santiago Rodriguez and Strahinja Tanasijevic will both have to sit this one out because of suspensions.
A 95th-minute header from James Sands enabled the Boys in Blue to rescue a point in their previous encounter, his first for the club.
New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:
Coronel; D. Nealis, Reyes, Eile, Tolkin; Ngoma, Stroud, Edelman, Harper; Vanzeir, Morgan
New York City FC possible starting lineup:
Freese; Gray, Martins, Haak, O'Toole; Sands, Parks; Wolf, Moralez, Ojeda; Martinez
We say: New York Red Bulls 1-1 New York City FC
Both sides appear to be playoff-bound, but neither have shown the ability to control a match for 90 minutes, which is why we project they will each keep their winless runs intact.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
