New England vs Montreal
New England Revolution and Montreal will lock horns at the Gillette Stadium in a potentially high-scoring MLS showdown. Both previous league H2Hs between these teams held here have seen over 2.5 goals and both teams scoring.
The hosts have experienced an upturn in form gearing up for this fixture, having gone from three consecutive MLS matches without winning (D1, L2) to back-to-back league triumphs ‘to nil.’ Despite New England’s form wobble, they have been relentless in the final third lately, notably scoring 2+ goals in five of their last seven MLS outings on an average of 2.42 per game. This encounter could be another ‘shooting gallery’ for the ‘Revs,’ considering they have netted over 1.5 goals in each of their previous three top-flight H2Hs (W3). Delivering action from the get-go, Bruce Arena’s men have bagged the first-half brace in two of their last three home MLS contests, with each of those four strikes coming between the 25th and 45th minute.
On the other hand, a narrow 1-0 away loss to New York City last time out brought Montreal’s three-game winning MLS streak to a halt. Away from home, Wilfried Nancy’s men have picked up just one victory in their last four MLS matches (D1, L2), managing a miserly average of 0.5 goals per game. Indeed, low scoring has been a common theme in Montreal’s recent league trips, with each of their previous six MLS fixtures on the road featuring under 2.5 total goals. Based on that, it comes as no surprise that Montreal have ended up on the losing side in all three MLS travels in which they conceded first this season. Additionally, a return of six defeats from their previous seven MLS trips to New England (W1) douses any embers of optimism that they can kick-start a winning run here.