DC United vs Montreal Impact Predictions

DC United went into Saturday’s home game against LAFC having won three and drawn one of their four MLS games this season, so it’s fair to say that they were thriving. However, their form and undoubted confidence didn’t help much, as they lost by four goals to nil. To add insult to injury, captain and leading scorer Wayne Rooney was sent off early in the second half, which means that DC will be without their talisman on Wednesday evening.

Being without Rooney will hamper DC, both in terms of creativity and end-product, but they’re far from a one-man team. With players such as the tricky Luciano Acosta and summer signing Lucas Rodriguez, not to mention USA international winger Paul Arriola, manager Ben Olsen still has plenty of attacking talent at his disposal.

From an offensive point of view, DC have impressed during the early weeks of the season, especially in front of their own fans. They failed to find the net last time out, but they still posted an encouraging 1.82 expected goals for. Moreover, they notched twice against Atlanta at home on the opening day of the season, posting 1.97 expected goals for, while they scored five against Real Salt Lake after that, clocking a mammoth 3.14 expected goals for.

Unlike the hosts at home, Montreal, who’ve played each of their first five games of the season on the road, have generally found it tough to get going offensively on their travels, while they’ve not been too clever at the back either.

Last time out, Montreal failed to score on the road, as they posted a measly 0.23 expected goals for, while their previous expected-goals for numbers of 0.71, 2.02 0.44 and 0.68 aren’t overly encouraging. The 2.02 clocked against Orlando was far from poor, though it’s easy to feel that they did so well because they were up against a very weak rear-guard. In general, the Canadian outfit have found it tough to offer a real threat.

Wednesday’s visitors did keep a clean sheet away against New York City last time out, though their defensive triumph was more down to NYC’s lack of attacking quality than anything else. Prior to that shutout, Montreal shipped seven (yes seven) goals away at Sporting Kansas City, while they also conceded away against Orlando, Houston and San Jose.

The hosts were beaten and beaten badly at the weekend, but they’ve been handed the perfect opportunity to bounce straight back. Against a limited Montreal side, DC can regain the winning thread, and punters can profit by backing ‘DC United to Win & Over 1.5 Goals’. As they’ve posted expected-goals for numbers of 1.97, 3.14 and 1.82 in front of a home crowd this season, the hosts can easily hurt a visiting team that has struggled both offensively and defensively on the road.