New York City host Atlanta United at Citi Field on Matchday 32. Both clubs are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Dropped points could end either team's hopes for the season.
New York City
New York City still have a realistic chance of reaching the wild-card round: they are four points adrift with three matches remaining. They could even reach the conference quarter-finals, but that is more of a theoretical possibility. Their fate had been in their own hands: as recently as late July, New York City were fifth in the East, but they have managed just one win and 10 points in the following 14 matches.
Atlanta United
Even Atlanta United, who have long been second from bottom in the East, have won 5 of their 14 matches over that period. Three of those wins, however, came in August. They are currently capable of responding with goals — they have scored in all four matches since the international break — but can barely manage a win. Their only victory came away to Montréal, who are bottom of their conference (3:0). They have only a slim chance of finishing ninth: to do so, they need to win every remaining match.
New York City vs Atlanta United Prediction
New York City also rarely fail to score — they have found the net in four of their previous five matches, albeit without winning any of them. With neither team able to win regularly, backing even clear favourites New York City is risky. Their recent scoring trends, along with five of the last six head-to-head meetings, support the expectation that both teams will score and there will be at least three goals.
