Orlando City SC vs New England Revolution Prediction: Orlando should be comfortable

The match between Orlando City and New England Revolution in the MLS Eastern Conference this September 15, 2024, will prove to be very vital for both clubs. Orlando currently sits at 7th in the table, chasing a far better end as this season draws to a close, while New England sit at 12th place, with their playoff hopes looking quite slim. It seems a tricky encounter to predict, considering the inconsistency in form by both teams in recent times, but the balance seems in Orlando City's favor, particularly with home advantage.

Orlando City comes into this match in good form, as they have won three out of their last five matches. This includes an excellent 3-0 home win against Nashville. In recent matches, Orlando's strength has been its tactical discipline based on scoring the first goal. Orlando's attacking firepower has been great, especially from Facundo Torres. Also, the team is managing to convert possession into goal-scoring chances. Its defense, too, has toughened up and conceded fewer goals during key moments.

The predicted lineup for Orlando City is to maintain their 4-2-3-1, as it has afforded them flexibility in attack and at the back. The last time around, they bossed the possession-59%-and created five big chances. This approach involves bossing the midfield and using wide players to pull New England's back four out of position. With Facundo Torres catching steam, Orlando City will be relying heavily on his creativity and finishing.

Regarding defensive setup, Orlando has been a bit firm in recent home games. They engage in early duels, which they have won 54%, and press high to disrupt the opponent's build-up play. The fact that they have scored first in five of their last seven matches shows they start well, mainly against teams that are weak defensively.

New England, in return, had a tough season, sitting in the lower half of the table, and was going through a tough period. Yes, their most recent outing - a 2-2 draw against St. Louis - came with promise in attack, but showed defensive frailty still to be an area to be wary of. They've conceded in five consecutive games, and their away form has been poor throughout the season. They have, however, been competitive in matches, mostly succeeding in scoring despite the struggles at the back.

New England will probably mirror that with a similar 4-2-3-1 of their own, but they haven't been nearly as razor-sharp tactically. They scored twice on the road in St. Louis, but created only one big chance and blew a late lead to settle for a 2-2 draw. On defense, New England has looked vulnerable at times this season, conceding multiple goals in each of their away matches.

New England relies on individual moments of brilliance, usually from Charles Gil, to make up for the overall lack of creativity in attack. Their long-ball approach-52% in this regard-has often resulted in low possession stats and fewer chances. While defensively they boast a high percentage of tackles won at 71%, they have conceded first in five of their last seven games; that puts them behind early in the match.

The head-to-head history between Orlando City and New England Revolution is quite competitive, as New England comes out on top 8 times, Orlando wins 7, and 5 draws. However, Orlando has had the slight edge in recent times, taking their last three meetings. These wins have shown an increasing trend of dominance for Orlando in this fixture, especially since New England's form has dipped in recent seasons.

The previous time out, Orlando won convincingly away from home 3-1 as they consolidated their recent head-to-heads against New England. While Orlando are defensively vulnerable, they have consistently scored multiple goals against New England in these fixtures.

With the recent form, home advantage, and tactical discipline of Orlando City, the home side are absolute favorites in this encounter. Considering New England's poor defensive displays this season, especially away from home, and the fact that Orlando always create multiple big chances, a convincing Orlando victory is very probable. Yet, one should not fail to address New England's knack for scoring-even when losing.

• Home Win & Over 1.5 Goals @ 1.75 Odds
• More than 2.5 Goals @ 1.60 Odds
• Correct Score 3-1 @ 12.00 Odds