- Team form: City's recent form is 3 draws, 1 win and 1 defeat from the last 5 matches.
- RBNY form: RBNY's recent form is 2 defeats, 2 draws and 1 win from the last 5 matches.
Hudson River Derby looks like a battle of the presses
City are the slight 1.73 favorites ahead of RBNY at 4.0 with the draw at 4.1 for this Friday's Hudson River Derby at Yankee Stadium, USA. Both teams are coming off some wobbly form in recent weeks, so it's perhaps difficult to be too optimistic about the chances of either of them in the short term.
City setup
City under Pascal Jansen have set up their 4-2-3-1 system to play a possession-first game with lots of coordinated pressing and sharp transitions. They have looked particularly dangerous on the break and in tight areas when Nicolas Fernandez has been in the right positions to score, as he did with two of City's five goals in the last 4 home games.
RBNY setup
RBNY have played more of a compact 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 under coach Ibrahim Sekagya with direct pressure and verticality in their favour, making this a derby where second balls and the ability to press the ball in a straight line are likely to dominate.
Both teams can land a punch in tight game
Agustin Ojeda has been the orchestrator in the middle of the park for City, providing three assists in the most recent five of their goals, but RBNY's pressing could create some chaos in those areas on Friday.
RBNY's away form across all competitions is 1 win, 1 draw and 3 defeats from five, so they have not been reliable on the road.
City's home form across all competitions is 1 win, 1 draw and 2 defeats from four, so they have not locked up the home advantage either. City's last 10 matches in all competitions are 2 wins, 3 draws and 5 defeats, so we think the broader form shows that they are not in top condition for this derby.
Over 2.5 goals is 1.48 and BTTS Yes is 1.48, so those are our selections.
- RBNY will need to be at their best to get a result in this game after a 0-0 draw away, a 2-0 loss away to Los Angeles FC and a 0-1 win away at Columbus Crew in their last three.
- We're going for the goal markets here because we think the game will be close with City looking a touch more likely to edge it.
