FC Cincinnati vs. New England Revolution Betting Preview

Things haven’t been easy for FC Cincinnati in 2021, and they won’t get easier this weekend as the first-place New England come to town. So far this season, every opponent on the Orange and Blue’s schedule has been a 2020 MLS Cup Playoff qualifier and this week’s opponent was in the Eastern Conference Final a year ago. The Revolution are off to a 4-1-2 start and sit in first place with 14 points, while FCC is coming off their first win of the season.

With Cincinnati new to MLS in 2019, these teams have met just twice. Both teams have one win in the series, and this will be their first-ever meeting at TQL Stadium. Saturday’s kickoff at sparkling new TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, is set for 3:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

Cincinnati Picking Up Confidence

The last game and a half have been among the best FC Cincinnati have played under coach Jaap Stam. Two weeks ago, they rallied from a two-goal deficit only to fall 3-2 against Inter Miami. And last week, they finally got the breakthrough with a 2-1 win over CF Montreal in Florida. 

The big change has come in formation with a switch to a 3-5-2 that has opened up the offense while not leaving the back as wide open to attack as it was against NYCFC and Orlando City. The new setup frees Ronald Matarrita and Joseph-Claude Gyau to play down the wings and introduced Caleb Stankoback to the starting lineup.

Defense Gustavo Vallecilla scored against Montreal, and veteran USMNT defender Geogg Cameron has provided stability since arriving from England this month. Cincinnati has allowed a league-worst 14 goals on the season, but 11 of those came in a three-game stretch. 

Revs Aim to Extend Win Streak

New England leads the Eastern Conference in points, and they are second in goals scored with 10 on the season. They have won two straight games with a 1-0 win over Columbus Crew and a 3-1 road win over New York Red Bulls. However, they have struggled on the road this season with a loss at Nashville plus draws against Philadelphia Union and 13th place Chicago Fire.

Gustavo Bou scored his second goal of the season last week, and Adam Buksa leads the team with three goals. Carles Gil pulls the strings for Bruce Arena’s side and leads the way with two assists. Veteran Matt Turner has started all seven games in goal with 18 saves and two clean sheets.

Arena’s side has been very tough on defense throughout the season, and they play a heavy possession-based game that utilizes their weapons. The attack has struggled on the road with a negative goal differential, but they will look to pressure FCC for the full 90 on Saturday.

Betting Analysis

New England is the home favorite in this contest at -105. FC Cincinnati is +255 on the money line, and a draw is at +265. Over 2.5 goals is -148 while under 2.5 goals is +107.

If Arena’s squad is a legit title contender, this is a game where they take care of business as other top teams have done against FCC this season.

On the flip side, Stam’s team can make a statement and build confidence heading into the international break with a positive result on the road against a strong team. The first goal is crucial as things tend to snowball against FCC once the net is broken.