Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs New York City FC Predictions, Odds, Picks

• Vancouver Whitecaps play hosts to New York City FC with both sides searching for their first points of the season.
• The odds are against the home side, but they usually tend to do well when labeled as the underdogs.
• New York City FC may rest some players to manage workload

Vancouver Whitecaps have faced New York City 5 times in their history and won just once. They have lost all the other meetings but have managed to score in all games.

The same is expected on Saturday, but New York might find it a tad bit difficult to win. Lucas Cavallini and Déiber Caicedo will be looking to get on the scoresheet for the home side and should be able to get the ball in the net.

Whitecaps Have Team Combination To Figure Out

Last season, Vancouver Whitecaps made it to the playoffs but were knocked out straight away in the first round by Sporting Kansas City. They are looking to go further this season and will be looking to take the first steps this week.

Columbus Crew thrashed them on the opening day and gave them a wake-up call early in the season. The home side scored two goals in each half to seal the big win and make it a forgetful start to the season for the Canadian side. Tristan Blackmon was the lone bright spark in the 4-0 loss at the Lower.com Field last week.

Jake Nerwiński is suspended for this fixture after getting sent off in the first game of the season. Cristián Gutiérrez was sent in during the last game after the red card, and he is expected to start on Saturday unless coach Vanni Sartini has plans to switch formations and move to a back four.

While the loss was a big one, Vancouver will be hoping that it was just a bump on the road. They did well in pre-season and went undefeated in their four matches.

The Canadian side faced Club Tijuana and New Mexico United in their first two pre-season games and managed to hold the two sides to a draw. They then edged a 1-0 win over San Diego Loyal before stunning championship favorites LA Galaxy 4-2 away from home. The Italian coach will be trying to motivate his players to get back into pre-season form, but New York City is expected to sneak a win.

New York City FC Look To Overcome Heartbreak

New York City FC’s title defense started with a last-minute heartbreak at LA Galaxy. Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez scored a 90th-minute winner to steal all three points on the opening day.

Héber did have a golden chance to level things up deep into injury time, but the forward put his chance wide. He was thrown onto the pitch after the goal and played just 5 minutes, but he was impressive in his cameo.

Ronny Deila’s side did not create a lot of chances last week and managed to get just one shot on target in reply to LA Galaxy’s six. However, he will not be too worried as his side has been in good form away from home. They have won each of their last six away games, including a 2-0 win over Santos de Guapiles in the CONCACAF Champions League last month.

Their pre-season form was nearly perfect – 4 wins and a draw in their five friendly matches.

The main issue for the reigning champions is their next fixture. They face Comunicaciones FC in the CONCACAF Champions League and will have one eye on their next match as well. Deila is likely to rest a few players on Saturday but should be able to put out a strong squad to get the result.

How to Watch Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs New York City FC