FC Cincinnati at Nashville SC Betting Preview

This is a three-game week across the MLS, and two teams that earned draws on Wednesday faceoff on Saturday. Nashville SC already played one of Ohio’s teams this week, and now they play the other as they host FC Cincinnati. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, and the contest will be televised on ESPN+.

Cincinnati and Nashville are two of the newest teams in MLS history, both joining as expansion teams in 2019 and 2020, respectively. They have played in league play just once with a 2-2 draw in April. That game was a sign of things to come for FCC as they couldn’t hold a 2-0 lead on the road.

Cincinnati Needs Help Finishing

Once again, on Wednesday, the Orange and Blue did everything right, except for protecting a lead. Just 72 hours after watching 2-0 and 4-2 leads slip away in a 5-4 loss at Montreal, FCC settled for a draw after leading 1-0 with 20 minutes left.

Things have been looking better on offense for Jaap Stam’s side since the start of June. Brenner finally got rolling with a brace in Montreal, and Luciano Acosta netted his fourth goal of the season Wednesday against Atlanta United.

On the defensive side, Geoff Cameron has solidified the backline since coming over from England. Goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer made multiple big saves to preserve the Atlanta draw and was named to the MLS Team of the Week as a result. He finished the game with a season-high eight saves, including one on a free kick in the final moments.

The Orange and Blue will again be without leading assist man Ronald Matarrita and midfielder Allan Cruz who are both with Costa Rica at the Gold Cup. Acosta scored the opener against Nashville back in April before Brenner scored from the spot in the 11th minute. FCC couldn’t finish the game, though, as Nashville earned the draw.

Nashville On a Streak

Nashville is unbeaten over their last 11 games with six wins and five draws. They have won five of the last seven at Nissan Stadium and so far this week have a 5-1 home win over Chicago and a 0-0 draw at Columbus.

Defender Walker Zimmerman suffered a hamstring injury at the Gold Cup with the USA and will miss some time. Fellow defender Alistair Johnson is still at the Gold Cup with Canada, but Nashville has only allowed one goal in the last 180 minutes while switching to a three-back system.

Hany Mukhtar had a hat-trick against Chicago and currently leads Nashville with seven goals on the season. Ronald Leal had an assist and a goal against Cincinnati in April, and he leads the team with five assists on the season.

Nashville has played just one road game since June 18, which was a 0-0 draw at Columbus on Wednesday. They are back home, where they have posted four clean sheets in 2021.

Betting Analysis

FC Cincinnati ML +650. +1.5 (-210)
Nashville SC ML -180. -1.5 (+145)
Draw +310
Total Goals 2.5. O -125. U +100
First to score: FC Cincinnati +210. Nashville -230. No Goals +800

Cincinnati keeps scoring first and taking leads but giving up late goals to drop points. The challenge Saturday will be grabbing a lead to start with as Nashville are stingy in the back and playing great team soccer. FCC was able to score early in Nashville in April but will face a full crowd this time around and a highly confident home team.