Atlanta United vs. Orlando City – MLS, September 10, 2021

Atlanta United (6-9-7) welcomes Orlando City (10-8-4) to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday, September 10, with both teams in good form.

The Five Stripes have won four of their previous five matches and have clearly upped their game since Gonzalo Pineda replaced Gabriel Heinze as head coach. On the flip side, the Lions head into Friday’s clash on a seven-match unbeaten streak in Major League Soccer.

Before we go any further, let’s take a look at the odds for Atlanta United vs. Orlando City.

As you can see, the top MLS betting sites view Atlanta (2.25) as the home favorite. The price for the home win isn’t small, though, suggesting that Orlando (3.00) are capable of coming away from Georgia with the points.

The goal-based markets are also worth considering here. Let’s not forget that Atlanta is among the lowest-scoring sides in the Eastern Conference, while Orlando boasts one of the best defensive records.

Below, I analyze both teams before providing my Atlanta United vs. Orlando City prediction and betting pick.

Believe it or not, Atlanta only managed to win two of their opening 17 MLS games this year – recording nine draws and six losses in the process. Following an impressive turnaround, they head into Friday’s clash on a run of just one defeat in six outings.

The Five Stripes’ upturn began with a 2-2 draw against CF Montreal. After that, they secured four straight victories in August – seeing off Columbus, LAFC, Toronto, and DC United along the way.

Although their hot streak was brought to an end by Nashville last time out, Pineda’s men now find themselves just three points outside the top seven. Earlier in the campaign, the playoffs were a distant dream. Now, they are a genuine possibility.

Atlanta’s Designated Players have stepped up recently, boosting the club’s playoff chances. Josef Martinez has netted four goals in his last six appearances, while Ezequiel Barco has bagged three goals and three assists in that time.

If Martinez and Barco continue to shine, the Five Stripes will continue to move up the standings.

Orlando raced into a 2-0 lead inside 30 minutes last weekend, with Daryl Dike and Silvester van der Water finding the back of the net. Columbus got two quick-fire goals after the break, but Junior Urso scored to secure a 3-2 win for the Lions.

Oscar Pareja’s men extend their unbeaten streak to seven MLS games against the Crew. Having taken 13 points from their previous seven outings, they will be confident of avoiding defeat on Friday.

With nine goals and seven assists to his name this year, Nani has been Orlando’s standout performer in 2021. The former Manchester United star has been helped by Benji Michel (4 goals, 5 assists) and Tesho Akindele (3 goals, 5 assists).

Having kept two clean sheets in their last three games, Pareja’s men know what it takes to keep their opponents’ forward line quiet.

I’d be lying if I said this was an easy game to call. With both teams enjoying a period of solid form at the moment, it is difficult to predict exactly which way this match will go.

That said, Orlando boasts the second-best away record in the East. The Lions have only lost three of their ten road games this season, picking up three wins and four draws in the process.

By contrast, the Five Stripes have only managed to win three of their ten home matches this year. Atlanta has taken just 15 points from a possible 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, scoring a measly ten goals along the way.

Although Pineda’s men have improved lately, I can see Orlando’s quality shining through on Friday.

In my opinion, odds of 3.00 for Orlando to win are too good to miss here. Yes, the Five Stripes have upped their game recently. But the Lions’ outstanding away record is difficult to ignore.

Having considered everything, the away win is my Atlanta United vs. Orlando City pick.