Atlanta hosts New England in an Eastern Conference battle! With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLS odds series, which includes our Atlanta-New England prediction and pick we have laid out below.
Atlanta United is barely holding on to a playoff spot right now. With 14 points out of 10 games, Atlanta is a single point above the trio of DC United, Charlotte FC, and Columbus Crew, all on 13 points. Thankfully for them, after not tasting a win in four straight, they routed the Chicago Fire 4-1 in their last game to get back to winning ways. New England has suffered a lot this year, losing five in six games. However, they strung together two without defeat and have a chance to be equal on points with Atlanta if they win.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Atlanta-New England MLS odds:
MLS Odds: Atlanta-New England Odds
Atlanta: (+100)
New England: (+210)
Draw: (+270)
Over: 2.5 (-166)
Under: 2.5 (+136)
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Why Atlanta Could Win This Game
Atlanta United made the playoffs last season, but they are holding on to dear life right now. It is still the early part of the season, but four defeats in ten games, together with two draws, does not spell good things for the fairly young franchise. The aforementioned run of four without defeat was broken by a 4-1 rout of the Chicago Fire and what Atlanta showed in that game could be the way to go for them until the end of the season.
If one was to pinpoint a singular reason why Atlanta should be winning this game, it would be their attacking talent. Josef Martinez will be missing again due to injury issues, but loanee Ronaldo Cisneros showed that the United fans should not worry about anything. In five games, the Mexican forward bagged four goals, including a hat-trick versus Chicago. If he can be on point again, it would do wonders for the playoff hopefuls.
Atlanta United have now exited their poor streak, but if they lose or draw this game, it could be a massive confidence drop for the squad, something they cannot really risk. Thus, for the sake of their playoff fight, Atlanta United should go all out and win this game. If they can rely on their attacking talent and hope Martinez can come back strong, this game would be a good start to a fine run of games.
Why New England Could Win This Game
It has not been an easy season for the New England Revolution faithful. The team suffered four straight defeats, won a game, but then just fell back to losing again. For a team with playoff aspirations, this early season has been severely disappointing, but it is not the end of the world. Right now, they have a string of games where they can show they really belong among the eight best teams of the conference and it all starts away at Atlanta.
What is especially interesting about New England this season is that, in three of their defeats and one draw, they actually drew first blood. Unfortunately, late collapses and losing their leads have been massive issues, and the defeat that hurts most is probably against Real Salt Lake, where the Revolution lost a 2-0 lead in just over 15 minutes. Still, getting leads first shows that New England does have the capabilities to attack and dominate games, but lacks the composure to hold on. If they are able to grab that early lead and maybe add a few more to their tally, it could be a win for New England in this contest.
Last but certainly not least, a major reason why New England could win this game is to extend their streak without a loss. Right now, with a win and a draw in their last two, they are tying their longest streak without defeat. If they could extend it to three games, they could get back a ton of confidence and momentum lost with the horrendous streak of five losses in six games they suffered lately. It will be an interesting match, but New England definitely has the means to really hurt Atlanta United.
Final Atlanta-New England Prediction & Pick
It is so difficult to predict these two teams. Their inconsistent results have been well documented, so it should be a game that can go in any direction. Still, the team with the edge is definitely Atlanta United. Our final Atlanta-New England prediction is an Atlanta win at their Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Final Atlanta-New England Pick: Atlanta (+100)