DC United vs. Atlanta United – MLS, October 3, 2020

It’s safe to say that 2020 has been a year to forget for both DC and Atlanta. A dismal five-game winless run has seen the Black & Red plummet to the bottom of the Eastern Conference, while one win in their last eight outings means the Five Stripes are only three points ahead.

Who will come out on top when the two off-form teams clash at Audi Field on Saturday, October 3?

After assessing the bookies’ odds, I provide my DC United vs. Atlanta United prediction and betting pick.

As you can see, the bookies can’t seem to split these two sides. We all know that Atlanta boasts the stronger team on paper, but their iffy form has made the price for the away win especially high.

Having said that, DC is also enduring a poor run, so it’s clear the Black & Red’s home advantage has affected the odds here. With both teams struggling, I can see the price for the draw attracting plenty of attention.

It feels like Ben Olsen’s lengthy reign as DC United head coach could be coming to an end. The long-serving manager – who also played over 200 games for the club – has been at the helm for ten years. But it could be argued that he is currently experiencing his toughest spell in the job.

With just two wins from 14 games this year, the Washington club is rooted to the foot of the Eastern Conference standings. A disappointing 2-0 defeat to New England Revolution last weekend was their third loss in four outings, and the team has only managed to score in one of their previous five games.

Indeed, only fellow-struggler FC Cincinnati has netted fewer goals than DC in 2020. It’s difficult to see how Olsen can turn things around from here.

Atlanta’s slump appeared to be over when the team registered an impressive victory over FC Dallas last week. Jeff Larentowicz’s penalty was enough to end the Georgia club’s six-game winless streak, but yet another defeat soon followed.

The Five Stripes returned to losing ways with a terrible 2-0 defeat to Chicago Fire on Sunday. Since the regular season resumed, Chicago has been one of the weakest teams in the division. But I guess that loss sums up where Atlanta is at right now.

Needless to say, interim head coach Stephen Glass isn’t giving a good account of himself. I’m sure Atlanta will be hoping to bring in a permanent replacement sooner rather than later.

I’m going with the draw here, simply because I can’t make a case for either team winning this game. Both sides are stuck in a rut at the moment, and I can’t see their fortunes changing anytime soon.

At the end of the day, neither team can afford to lose this weekend. Both sides will be eager to avoid defeat, so I think this will be a tight affair with very few goalscoring opportunities.