New York Red Bulls vs. New York City FC – MLS, September 22, 2021

The next installment of the Hudson River Derby goes down this Wednesday, September 22.

Eleventh-place RBNY hosts third-place New York City in Harrison, with 12 points between them in the Eastern Conference standings.

The two rivals have yet to face each other this year. Let’s not forget, however, that NYCFC crushed the Red Bulls 5-2 in their most recent meeting back in November 2020.

Who will come out on top this time around? Well, this New York Red Bulls vs. New York City betting preview will help answer that question.

After looking at the latest odds for the Hudson River Derby, I will analyze both teams before sharing my prediction and pick for RBNY vs. NYCFC.

Boasting a 12-point lead over their arch-rival, New York City (2.05) is the favorite to claim the Big Apple bragging rights on Wednesday. That said, the price for the away win isn’t small.

Having sealed an emphatic 4-0 thrashing of Inter Miami last time out, the Red Bulls (3.10) will fancy their chances of upsetting the MLS odds when the Bronx Blues come to town.

The Red Bulls headed into Week 26 on a dismal run of just one win in 11 matches. With four draws and six losses coming during that period, nobody expected them to get the better of in-form Inter Miami.

However, Gerhard Struber’s men didn’t just get the better of the Herons; they totally outclassed them and left Florida with a huge 4-0 victory.

Brazilian loanee Fabio bagged a brace last time out, meaning he now has five goals and six assists to his name this year. Patryk Klimala and Omir Fernandez also got on the scoresheet to complete the rout.

When you look at the bigger picture, the Red Bulls are still in trouble. They have only managed to win seven of their 23 matches this season and remain nine points shy of the playoff places.

There is no denying that last weekend’s win would have filled the squad with confidence, though. If Struber’s men can pick up where they left off against Inter Miami, they could cause their crosstown rivals plenty of problems.

Across the past ten meetings between the New York rivals, NYCFC has only suffered three losses. Thanks to a hefty 5-2 victory last time around, Ronny Deila’s men will be confident of extending their impressive Hudson River Derby record.

Valentin Castellanos bagged a hat-trick, along with an assist, in the previous meeting. If his recent exploits are anything to go by, he is set to be the center of attention once again.

The Argentine has already notched 12 goals and seven assists this year, with eight goals and four assists coming in his last ten appearances. It goes without saying that he will be eager to add to his tally against RBNY.

Having netted 43 goals in 24 games (1.8 goals per game), the Bronx Blues are the second-highest scorers in the East. Better still, only two sides in the conference have conceded fewer goals.

NYCFC ended a run of three MLS matches without a win at the weekend, beating FC Cincinnati 2-1. That was their eleventh victory of the campaign; only the Revs have more wins to their name in 2021.

Although the MLS betting sites view New York City as the favorite to win on Wednesday, this clash could easily go either way. The Hudson River Derby invariably dishes up surprises, so I recommend steering clear of the moneylines here.

Instead, I’m backing over 3.5 goals at the very attractive price of 2.55. Six of the last ten meetings between the teams have produced at least three goals, suggesting that we are set for another high-scoring encounter.