Atlanta United vs. New England Revolution – MLS, July 17, 2021

Atlanta United (2-7-3) will be desperate to avoid another draw when New England (7-3-3) visits Mercedes-Benz Stadium this Saturday, July 17.

With just two MLS wins to their name this year, Gabriel Heinze’s men find themselves tenth in the Eastern Conference. At the other end of the standings, the Revs sit three points clear at the top.

Keep reading to find my Atlanta United vs. New England Revolution prediction and betting pick. But before we get to that, let’s check out the odds for Saturday’s showdown.

Holding an 11-point lead over Atlanta (2.70), New England (2.30) is the bookies’ favorite to claim all three points in Georgia. That said, the price for the away win is fairly sizeable here.

Considering the Five Stripes have tied more than half of their Major League Soccer matches this season, the juicy odds for the draw (3.60) look very attractive.

Let’s take a closer look at the teams before settling on a prediction for Atlanta vs. New England.

Only one team – Nashville SC – has lost fewer games than Atlanta in the East this year. Still, no side has picked up fewer wins than Heinze’s men in 2021.

Needless to say, the Five Stripes’ seven draws have prevented them from challenging for a playoff berth up to now.

ATL UTD hasn’t had any major defensive issue this season. In fact, only a handful of teams have conceded fewer goals. But it’s fair to say that Atlanta has struggled at the other end of the field, as only two sides – FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami – have fewer goals.

Since returning from a lengthy injury, 2018 Golden Boot winner Josef Martinez has only managed to find the back of the net on two occasions. With DP Ezequiel Barco also failing to live up to expectations, the Five Stripes are in desperate need of an attacking spark.

Unfortunately, they head into Saturday’s clash on a seven-game winless streak in MLS (five draws, two losses).

Funnily enough, the Revs have actually failed to win any of their last three outings, with defeats to FC Dallas and Toronto FC coming either side of a 2-2 draw against Columbus.

But after losing just one of their opening ten MLS matches this year (seven wins, two draws), Bruce Arena’s men still find themselves in a seriously strong position.

Unlike Atlanta, the Revs have been scoring goals for fun in 2021. With 22 goals to their name, they are the highest scorers in the East and the third-highest scorers across the entire league.

Gustavo Bou has bagged six goals in 11 appearances this season, while Adam Buksa has five under his belt. Right-back Tanjon Buchanan has been a revelation, too, notching three goals and four assists this year.

However, the star of the show has to be Carles Gil. The Spanish midfielder has already chalked up a whopping seven assists this term, as well as two goals.

Having assessed both sides, I believe the draw is the best bet for Atlanta United vs. New England Revolution. After all, the Five Stripes are this year’s draw specialists – tying just shy of 54% of their MLS matches in 2021.

Following a strong start to the season, New England has tailed off recently. I can’t see the Revs losing this game, but I’m not sure they are in good enough form to come away from Georgia with all three points on Saturday.