Sandro Schwarz is keen to turn New York Red Bulls’ recent draws into wins heading into the business end of the season, starting with Philadelphia Union this weekend.
The Bulls returned from their disappointing Leagues Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Charlotte FC away from home, marking their 12th of the term, three more than any other side in the Eastern Conference.
Despite this, they sit fourth in the standings, four points behind Columbus Crew, and while Schwarz was happy with a draw in their last encounter, he acknowledged the momentum that comes with victories will be crucial for the playoffs.
“We have 12 draws this season and it’s too much, but this is what we have to analyse differently moving forward,” Schwarz said.
“I think the draw we had last time out was good against a solid team and especially in the first game after the break to come directly back into our rhythm.
“The whole team adapted but I don’t want to compare now this draw with other draws, especially in our home games. Our main goal every Saturday is to win games.”
Philadelphia, meanwhile, returned to MLS action in midweek against Columbus Crew, the side who beat them in the semi-finals on their way to lifting the Leagues Cup title.
And the same result transpired, with Yaw Yeboah’s 75th minute strike compounding them to a 1-0 defeat to leave them 10th in the Eastern Conference table and a point behind Atlanta United.
With the quick turnaround in matches, head coach Jim Curtin expressed his concerns about the level of fitness within his Union squad, revealing that rotation in the coming weeks will help aid his sides push for the playoffs in the final stretch of fixtures.
"We'll see how guys recover again tonight. Definitely took a lot out of our guys,” Curtin said. “We put a lot into the game. So did Columbus.
“Lot of tired bodies on the field at the end of the game. We'll have to assess things, see where guys are at, and then kind of go from there.
"Yeah, we'll need guys to step up for sure. We'll have a few changes, but not a ton, just because it's a big game again so we can't really afford to just rest and rotate a ton."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
NYRB – Elias Manoel
Elias Manoel scored the Red Bulls’ lone goal against Charlotte FC on Saturday, his seventh in six meetings with Charlotte (incl. playoffs), equalling the total from his other 57 MLS matches (incl. playoffs).
Philadelphia Union – Daniel Gazdag
After being so prolific for the Union this season, Daniel Gazdag did not attempt a shot or create a chance for a teammate in the Union’s defeat to Columbus Crew.
It was the first time Gazdag started a match but was not involved in a shot since May 2022 as he had recorded at least one shot involvement in his previous 69 MLS starts, and he will be hoping to have a bigger impact this time around.
MATCH PREDICTION: NYRB WIN
The Bulls extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 11 matches (W2 D9, incl. two penalty shoot-out defeats) with their draw against Charlotte FC. Only Los Angeles FC (13 straight in May-July) have a longer unbeaten streak in all competitions this campaign.
Philadelphia, however, are unbeaten in 13 straight matches against the Red Bulls in all competitions (W8 D5). New York’s last win over the Union was a 2—0 victory in the 2019 regular season.
The Union’s defeat to the Crew last time out was their 11th defeat of the regular season. They haven’t lost more than 11 games in any single regular season since losing 14 times in 2018.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
NYRB – 43.9%
Draw – 26.8%
Philadelphia Union – 29.3%
Cincinnati v Montreal: ‘Alarming’ slow starts must change, insists Kinnear
Cincinnati assistant head coach Dominic Kinnear insisted that the team’s slow starts were "alarming" and needed to be put right ahead of the visit of CF Montreal.
With head coach Pat Noonan serving a suspension, Kinnear watched on as his side conceded two goals in six minutes against Inter Miami, with Luis Suarez netting both in a 2-0 victory for the Eastern Conference leaders.
Despite the result, the Orange and Blue remain second in the standings, but have Leagues Cup winners Columbus Crew breathing down their necks and the advantage of having two games in hand.
Kinnear believes that starting fast will set the tone for the remainder of the season, explaining that it must start sooner rather than later ahead of the playoffs.
“It's cause for alarms,” Kinnear said of the team conceding early in four of their last six matches. “It's the intensity and the, you know. I think at times, the lack of understanding of how the other team is going to come out.”
“These are some very important games. There are playoff positions and trophies on the line. You know, for me, that was a flat 10 minutes. As flat as I've seen coming out of the locker room.
“Are we out of shape? No. Is the preparation not there; are they understanding the opponent? I think everything is in line there. Sometimes that's the unknown answer. But you know, I won't disagree. We have come out flat and it's something we need to address for sure."
Montreal, meanwhile, returned from their Leagues Cup campaign with a whimper as they were thumped 5-0 by New England Revolution - their heaviest defeat of the season.
The result leaves the team in 11th place in the Eastern Conference table, but just a point behind Atlanta United, who occupy the final playoff spot in the division.
Head coach Laurent Courtois criticised his players for a combination of individual errors that led to the defeat, bemoaning his squad for a lack of discipline during the contest.
"We thought we had made the personal or tactical adjustments in the second half to turn things around, but when you lose your discipline, it becomes complicated,” Courtois said.
“There were individual errors that hurt. It's difficult for me to talk about positives tonight, even if we thought there was room for improvement.
“We struggled in transition and ran out of ideas in the second half.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Cincinnati – Luciano Acosta
Luciano Acosta has been the standout for Cincinnati this season, registering 26 goal involvements (11 goals and 15 assists) in 25 league appearances.
In his 15 appearances against Montreal, Acosta has found the back of the net seven times, level with the San Jose Earthquakes as the most he has struck against an MLS opponent.
Montreal – Joseph Martinez
Josef Martinez has scored seven regular-season goals against Cincinnati, tied with Gyasi Zardes for the most in regular season play.
MATCH PREDICTION: CINCINNATI WIN
While Cincinnati are the favourites to emerge victorious at the TQL Stadium, they have lost their last four straight regular season matches after losing just four of their previous 24 league games (W16 D4) dating back to last October.
The Orange and Blue conceded two goals in the opening six minutes of their loss to Inter Miami. Prior to that encounter, Cincinnati had conceded just once in the opening six minutes of matches since the start of the 2023 season.
But Montreal have struggled away from home and are winless in 13 straight away matches in all competitions (D4 L9) dating back to March. This is the club’s longest road winless run since going 34 without a win on their travels from September 2013 to May 2015.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Cincinnati – 63.3%
Draw – 19.5%
Montreal – 17.2%
Champions League holders Real Madrid to face Liverpool and handed Dortmund reunion
Champions League holders Real Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund in a rematch of last season's final following Thursday's revamped draw.
The new league phase format sees each of the 36 teams play eight games, four at home and four away.
And Madrid, who beat Dortmund in the final at Wembley in June, will go up against BVB at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Carlo Ancelotti's team are also set to face Liverpool at Anfield in one of the headline clashes of the new-look draw, while they will play Milan and Europa League winners Atalanta.
Liverpool have failed to win each of their last eight meetings with Madrid (D1 L7), their longest winless run against an opponent in European competition.
Manchester City and Arsenal will both go up against Paris Saint-Germain, while Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen count Inter, Liverpool, Milan and Atletico Madrid among their eight opponents.
PSG will also take on Bayern Munich, who in turn have to face Barcelona away from home. The French club, meanwhile, have won just one of their six Champions League meetings with Man City.
As well as taking on PSG, Arsenal also have a clash with Inter to relish. The Gunners' only previous away game against Internazionale was a 5-1 win in November 2003, with that season being the last time the Gunners won the Premier League title.
Aston Villa fans have a pair of home matches against heavyweights Bayern and Juventus to look forward to.
No love lost for Espirito Santo ahead of Wolves reunion
Nuno Espirito Santo chose not to dwell on his time with Wolves, with full focus on maintaining Nottingham Forest’s unbeaten start to the season when his former side visits the City Ground on Saturday.
Espirito Santo spent four years at the helm in the West Midlands, helping them win promotion to the Premier League during the 2017-18 season.
But full focus for the Forest head coach turns to league action following their EFL Cup exit to Newcastle United on penalties in midweek after their 1-0 win over Southampton five days ago.
However, with the transfer window slamming shut ahead this weekend’s round of action, Espirito Santo said he is keen to bolster his squad, but would not be doing so without careful consideration.
"There's a lot of love and respect from our time that we worked there - it was special,” Espirito Santo said. “It's a different game [to usual] and I wish them all the best for the other 36 games of the season.
"We have 36 hours, I think the club is working to bring solutions and options to make us stronger and have a competitive squad.
"It's all about the profile of the player - it's not easy, especially in these last hours but it's also not easy because we already have talent and quality in the squad. As a club we are working and I expect to bring in some players."
Wolves, meanwhile, are yet to get off the mark in the league after their 6-2 thrashing against Chelsea at Molineux but progressed to the third round of the EFL Cup with a win over Burnley on Wednesday.
The encounter against the Championship side offered Gary O’Neil the opportunity to give some of his fringe players some much needed minutes after a productive pre-season campaign.
But much like his opposite number, O’Neil was looking ahead to Friday’s deadline, insisting that some big decisions would be made before they make the short journey to the East Midlands.
"I am pleased. I thought we looked good and we did really well,” O’Neil said. “It was an opportunity for some players to get minutes because they have worked hard during training and in pre-season.
"I was confident that we would see a good team performance and they did not let us down.
“It was good to see where a few of them are though, because there are some big decisions coming up in terms of transfers and team selections."
"I am pleased. I thought we looked good and we did really well,” O’Neil said. “It was an opportunity for some players to get minutes because they have worked hard during training and in pre-season.
"I was confident that we would see a good team performance and they did not let us down.
“It was good to see where a few of them are though because there are some big decisions coming up in terms of transfers and team selections."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nottingham Forest – Morgan Gibbs-White
Since Gibbs-White’s Premier League debut for Forest after arriving from Wolves, only five players have created more chances from open play in the competition than he has (108).
He has continued his fine form into this campaign, already creating six open play chances which is a total only bettered by Liverpool’s Luis Diaz (seven) after the first two games.
Wolves – Matheus Cunha
Matheus Cunha has become a pivotal player for O’Neils side in the attacking areas and has now been involved in 17 goals in his last 19 Premier League starts for the club (11 goals and six assists).
The Brazilian has also enjoyed fixtures against Forest, scoring three goals in his three appearances against them, only scoring more against Chelsea (four).
MATCH PREDICTION: NOTTINGHAM FOREST WIN
Nottingham Forest are expected to continue their fine start to the Premier League season, winning 45.6% of Opta’s data-led simulations, with Wolves given a 29% chance of emerging victorious at the City Ground.
The Reds have taken four points from their opening two games this season (W1 D1). They last avoided defeat in their opening three games in a top-flight season in 1995-96, going on to finish 9th.
No side has had more shots than Forest in the Premier League this season (37), while they have had the most shots on target of any team (16). Since returning to the Premier League in 2022-23, Forest have had eight or more shots on target in five games – four of those have come in their 23 games under Nuno Espirito Santo, compared to once in 55 games under Steve Cooper.
However, their recent record against their Midlands rivals is one they will be looking to change. Forest have won just one of their last 11 league games against Wolves (D5 L5), last beating them 2-0 at Molineux in January 2018,
Wolves are unbeaten in their last six away league games against Saturday’s opponents (W3 D3) since a 3-1 loss in March 2013, but have lost their last five Premier League matches, conceding 18 goals. They last had a longer losing run when losing the final three games of 2020-21 and opening three games of 2021-22.
Wolves have also won just one of their last 20 Premier League matches in August (D9 L10), a 1-0 away win at Everton last year. Overall, they’ve won just 15% of their games in August (5/33), the lowest win ratio in that month by any side to play in more than one season in Premier League history.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Nottingham Forest – 45.6%
Draw – 25.4%
Wolves – 29%
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