New England Revolution vs St. Louis City Prediction: Revolution won't lose on home turf

The New England Revolution welcome St. Louis City SC to an enticing encounter in Major League Soccer on 8th September 2024. Both clubs have made an abysmal start to the season and sit 13th in their respective conferences. The game holds immense importance for both sides as they seek to raise the bar and gain some valuable momentum.

Despite their lowly position in the Eastern Conference, New England Revolution has shown resilience at home. In their last five matches, they've accumulated three wins and two losses. However, consistency has been difficult for them to attain, especially inside the attacking third. Many times, the Revolution prefers a possession-based approach, as suggested by their 56% possession in the last game against Salt Lake. They like to control midfield and build up patiently, which has been a profound issue with them-they just can't produce clinical finishes.

Defensively, at times, they are strong, with the challenge won in 50% of tackles in their last game; however, they do struggle to keep clean sheets as represented by their tendency to concede goals frequently.

Tactically speaking, the trend is underwhelming for New England, and they would be better off playing more conservatively. They are expected to solidify the backline and hit St. Louis City with transitional attacks. Given their penchant for low-scoring games, specifically in the last six matches where five have ended under 2.5 goals, they could frustrate their opponents and finish with set-piece or counter-attacking plays.

On the other hand, St. Louis City SC has had quite an turbulent season so far in the Western Conference with an indecisive record of 5 wins, 12 draws, and 10 losses. Coming off a morale-winning 2-1 win over the LA Galaxy, St. Louis had the fortune of winning by virtue of their win, considering they had lower possession and didn't create many big chances. St Louis City SC recent games have been tempting fate, with over 2.5 goals in five of the last six, while a run of having conceded in ten on the bounce is low on confidence. This season, the going marker would be that they have come from behind with the opener in four of the last five.

With both their recent trend for high-scoring games and the defensive vulnerabilities, St. Louis are likely to employ an attacking approach. It can be argued that they might go all guns blazing looking to exploit New England's defensive frailties, especially on the flanks. However, their open style of play might make them suspect counter-attacks-something New England might look to exploit.

No h2h information

This fixture will pit two sides with contrasting styles and recent form against each other. New England, while a bit more sound defensively, have not exactly been prolific in front of goal. St. Louis, on the other hand, brings a much more attacking-minded side-thought with some defensive issues that could well be exposed.

New England will look to dominate the game through midfield and move forward with careful, constructive play, whereas St. Louis will most likely try to press higher up the pitch to disrupt them. The key to this game could be in which of these two teams manages to impose their style more on the other. Given New England's home advantage, much-improved defensive discipline could see them being cautious, while St. Louis, buoyed by the recent victory, is likely to be far more adventurous.

Considering St. Louis City has scored and conceded consistently in their last few matches, the probability of this bet coming off is high. Tendency to find the net, even when under pressure, suggests both teams getting on the scoresheet in the game.

Yet New England's organized but occasionally leaky defense meets St. Louis's attacking intent in what should be one of the more intriguing tactical battles of the Round, one that could swing on fine margins. Expect a cagey battle at Gillette Stadium.

• Home Win or Draw & Over 1.5 Goals @ 1.63 Odds
• Home DNB @ 1.60 Odds
• Correct Score 2-1 @ 9.00 Odds