The New York Red Bulls will square off against LA Galaxy at the Coachella Valley Invitational in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday.
New York Red Bulls have kicked off their pre-season on a winning note and have a 100% record in their three games thus far. In their previous outing, Luquinhas' goal helped them overcome Minnesota United 1-0 on Saturday. They will be looking to maintain the 100% record against Los Angeles Galaxy.
LA Galaxy have also played three games in the pre-season thus far, suffering two defeats and picking up one win in these matches. They were hammered 4-1 by the Portland Timbers last time around, in a game that saw Javier Hernandez suffer an injury.
Both teams are scheduled to play one more friendly with the Red Bulls taking on the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday and LA Galaxy facing Toronto before the MLS 2023 campaign kicks off later this month.
New York Red Bulls vs LA Galaxy Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two sides have locked horns 51 times in all competitions since 1996. They have been evenly matched in these meetings with 21 wins for both teams and the spoils have been shared nine times between them.
- They last met in the MLS in 2021, in which LA Galaxy recorded a 3-2 win at home.
- The last five meetings between the two teams have over 2.5 goals, in which both teams have picked up a couple of wins and one game has ended in a draw.
- LA Galaxy have seen over 2.5 goals in their three games in the pre-season, scoring six goals in these games while conceding seven.
- The Red Bulls have seen over 2.5 goals in just one of their three friendlies thus far and have kept clean sheets in two of these games.
New York Red Bulls vs LA Galaxy Prediction
With the MLS season roughly a couple of weeks away, both teams will be looking to hit form before the campaign opener. They will also need to keep in mind the players' fitness and ensure that players are not overworked in these friendlies. The LA Galaxy had to take out Chicharito in their last game as a precaution.
With that in mind, the game might be a low-scoring affair, and considering NYRB's form, we back them to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: New York Red Bulls 2-1 LA Galaxy
New York Red Bulls vs LA Galaxy Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - New York Red Bulls
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the first half - Yes