St. Louis City SC vs Minnesota United Prediction: A goal fest is the least expectation

The city of St. Louis hosts Minnesota United on September 15, 2024, in a very important clash as far as Major League Soccer is concerned. Both teams find themselves in different situations: St. Louis City struggles near the bottom of the Western Conference in 13th place, while Minnesota United finds itself in 9th place, fighting for a playoff position. This contrast in their positions adds a fascinating dimension to this match, as every point could be crucial for their respective goals.

St. Louis City comes into this match with mixed form. This team, while unbeaten in their last three matches, has been largely inconsistent throughout the season, collecting 5 wins, 13 draws, and 10 losses so far this season. Their recent 2-2 draw against New England Revolution showed them fighting for a result yet leaking two goals in the process.

The St. Louis City is expected to lineup up in a 4-2-3-1 setup, a structure that has predominantly featured for their manager in recent times. This allows them to be more concrete in structure in midfield while giving attacking support through the wide areas. However, one of the mainstays of St Louis has been their defense, which has shipped in 11 goals in their last five games. But on the other hand, they always struggle with set-piece defending and pacey attackers-a situation Minnesota can duly use to their advantage.

St. Louis has shown that on offense, they can score, being that they maintained the eight-game-in-a-row streak where both teams scored from earlier in the season. Their tendency to operate in quick transitions and eagerness to take an early lead, up front in five of their last six, are going to be key to undermining the Minnesota defense that has been variable this season.

Meanwhile, Minnesota United has been more stable with 10 wins, 6 draws, and 11 losses. In their last outing, they secured an important 2-1 away win against San Jose Earthquakes, and they have shown that they can be an opponent to contend with.

Minnesota United will most probably line up with a 5-3-2 system, which has provided them with defensive solidity, and thus the wing-backs have been available to move forward and support. The best talent so far has been Bongokuhle Hlongwane, with his speed and finishing creating issues for opponents. In their last game at San Jose, Minnesota was clinical in converting their chances, a trait they hope to carry over against a St. Louis defense that has been anything but solid.

Probably, Minnesota's strategy will involve taking advantage of open spaces behind St. Louis' fullbacks for high pressing in order to force mistakes. Their ability to capitalize on big chances, as was the case with the four big chances created in their last match, may prove to be decisive. Defensively, they will have to be disciplined, first and foremost with how they deal with St. Louis' set-pieces and crosses.

The head-to-head record between St. Louis City and Minnesota United is somewhat short given that St Louis City is one of the recent teams in the MLS. They have so far played twice and won one game each.

The most recent clash happened in September 2023, won by St. Louis City through a 2-1 away victory. A match that indeed showed St. Louis could handle a tight squeeze, particularly during an away match with a strong side like Minnesota.

Minnesota United also came out on top in the other meeting between the two, and altogether, they are all but dead level when playing against each other. Such is the nature of these results that their coming clash may similarly be hard-fought with both sides having something to prove.

When both these sides last met, St. Louis City took home a narrow away victory of 2-1, which would give their confidence a boost. However, playing at home has not really been the biggest suit for St Louis, where they have struggled to turn draws into wins. As this stage of the season comes with pressure to secure three points, that may spur them on to an inspired performance or lead them to making costly mistakes.

Minnesota United sits better off on the table but has been inconsistent, especially when away from home. The three wins and two losses in the last five games speak to a team capable of brilliance but also prone to lapses. With playoff aspirations in mind, Minnesota will most likely enter this game with cautious optimism, seeking to capitalize on the defensive frailties of St. Louis while putting up a solid defensive line themselves.

• More than 2.5 Goals @ 1.6 Odds
• GG & Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.70 Odds
• Draw FT @ 3.60 Odds