While Inter Miami enjoyed a brief diversion at the Club World Cup, the team now has to focus on Major League Soccer and their aim to make it through to the postseason. A 3-0 loss away to Cincinnati in midweek leaves the team in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with some work to do.
On Sunday (12.30am BST), Miami are away once again, with a trip to New Jersey in prospect. The New York Red Bulls were 5-3 winners in an entertaining encounter with New England on Wednesday, and that victory puts the side in eighth place in the East, which means they currently occupy one of the wild card slots. This is an important contest, but who will emerge with the points? Read on for our NYRB vs Inter Miami preview with betting tips.
In the match betting market, the teams are closely matched, with Inter Miami the marginal favourites at 7/5. Victory for the Red Bulls is next at best industry odds of 17/10, while the draw is available at a top price of 13/5.
Most teams were in action in midweek and we’ve seen the contrasting results between these two clubs. Inter Miami’s 3-0 loss will obviously lead to talk of a Club World Cup hangover, but they remain in fifth and are likely to make it through to the postseason. The Red Bulls are three places and five points behind Sunday’s opponents, but they have played three more games.
The table is relatively close: Inter Miami have the better record across the season, but the Red Bulls’ most recent form is good and they also have home advantage. It’s a tight call, so let’s firstly consider some side bets to see if there are any options among the props.
Lionel Messi certainly isn’t taking it easy in MLS. He is the joint leading scorer across the Conferences with 16 goals and he is the favorite to find the net first in this game. Messi is available at a best of 4/1 in the First Goalscorer market, while his teammate Luis Suarez is further back at 11/2.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is the shortest available option for Red Bull backers. The former PSG, Bayern Munich and Stoke City striker has 13 league goals so far this season and he is quoted at 19/4 here.
Other players to consider from the first goalscorer market include Emil Forsberg at a best of 15/2. The Swedish international scored twice in the win over New England on Wednesday. For Inter Miami followers, Allen Obando may offer a threat at his top price of 17/2.
Moving away from player props and our next market is Both Teams to Score. If you think that both Inter Miami and the New York Red Bulls will find the net on Sunday, this option is listed at 4/9 in most places. Anyone considering the ‘no’ option on BTTS can find best odds of 17/10.
Total Combined Goals is our next destination, and there are odds of 8/15 in place to stake Over the 2.5 line. If we push that to Over 3.5 goals, the numbers lift to 5/4. If you’re expecting a quiet 90 minutes in New Jersey on Sunday, you could consider betting Under the 2.5 goal line at 6/4.
We’ll round off the props section with some Correct Score options. The moneyline market hints at a narrow win for favorites Inter, so you could consider a final outcome of New York 1 Miami 2 at 9/1. The same scoreline in favor of the Red Bulls can be found at 10/1, while the 2-2 draw is also available at 10/1.
Our NYRB vs Inter Miami Betting Tips Verdict For This Preview
Coming into this game, many tipsters might be focusing on Inter Miami. The team sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and this relatively new franchise is vastly improved this season. Since the Club World Cup, however, there will be inevitable talk of fatigue and that 3-0 loss at Cincinnati in midweek.
Miami may be vulnerable but we’d prefer to focus on the New York Red Bulls and their qualities. They are the eighth-placed team in the East, so it has been a respectable, if not exactly an exceptional campaign. The Red Bulls’ 5-3 win on Wednesday was their first victory of any kind since May but it does underline a potentially useful trend.
This New York franchise is far more effective at home than they are on the road. Across the season, they have won eight of their eleven matches at the Sports Illustrated Stadium, and they are unbeaten at home since a reverse to DC United in April.
Inter Miami’s defeat on Wednesday looks to be just a minor concern in terms of their playoff hopes. It should be tight here but that exceptional home form means we’re backing a Red Bulls win.
Like the bookies, we’re expecting a few goals here, so you could take the Over 3.5 goal bet as an alternative, but we’ll keep faith that the hosts will maintain their exceptional home run in this key fixture. So this is the betting tip we recommend for this MLS matchup preview:
- New York Red Bulls to win at 27/20 with Bet365.
Matt Harris is a football & golf writer for Just Bookies. Other sports in his portfolio of specialities include cricket. Matt has contributed to innumerable large organisations and media brands. These include: Betfair, BetVictor, USA Betting & Unibet. 