Philadelphia Union vs FC Cincinnati Betting Preview

Philadelphia Union vs FC Cincinnati Betting Preview

Barry Devoe
2 years ago
3 min read
Philadelphia Union vs FC Cincinnati Betting Preview

As the Major League Soccer season starts to wind down, FC Cincinnati doesn’t have much left to play for except for pride. That’s what’s on the line for the Orange and Blue on Saturday night when they host the Philadelphia Union. Cincinnati is an underdog at home with a +205 Moneyline while Philadelphia’s Moneyline is set at +116 with a Moneyline of +245 with a draw.

On the heels of a five-game losing streak, FC Cincinnati has officially fallen into last place in the Eastern Conference. They’ve taken just 20 points from 27 matches thanks to a league-low four wins on the season. FC Cincinnati has all been but eliminated from playoff contention and needs to make up five points on Toronto just to get out of the Eastern Conference basement.

Meanwhile, the Union is poised to capture a playoff spot barring a late-season collapse. Philadelphia heads into the weekend third in the Eastern Conference. However, the Union only has a three-game cushion when it comes to claiming a playoff spot and is 23 points behind first-place New England, meaning the Union is closer to the bottom of the standings than the top.

Philly Peaking

The Union will have a chance to extend its unbeaten run to five matches on Saturday. Philly is fresh off a convincing 3-0 win over Columbus, giving them three wins and one draw over the club’s last five matches. Of course, it helps that the Union has given up the second-fewest goals in MLS this year, although they’ll be without Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake on Saturday night.

The good news is that the Union is showing signs of life offensively. While they’ve been average for most of the year, Philadelphia has scored eight goals over its four-game unbeaten run. Leading goal scorer Kacper Przybylko has three goals and an assist in his last four games while three other players all contributed goals during the recent win over Columbus.

All Downhill

It hasn’t been a particularly good season for the Orange and Blue, but even by Cincinnati’s standards, things have gone from bad to worse lately. The club has lost five straight games with a managerial change in the middle of that stretch failing to provide a spark in a 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls last weekend. The Orange and Blue have conceded 14 goals during that five-game losing streak, meaning they’ve now conceded the second-most goals in MLS this year.

At the same time, FC Cincinnati has also scored the second-fewest goals in the league. Leading scorer Brenner has been held scoreless in three straight matches, creating a void for the Orange and Blue attack. On the bright side, Luciano Acosta has two goals and an assist in his last three matches, so Cincinnati does have some reason to be optimistic late in the season.

Opportunity Knocks

FC Cincinnati will catch a break this weekend with the Union missing six players due to international duty, including Blake and playmaker Jamiro Monteiro. This explains why the betting odds are a little more even based on where these two teams sit in the standings. But will it be enough for FC Cincinnati to snap its losing streak?

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