NYCFC travel down south to take on Atlanta United on June 21st at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
The two Eastern Conference teams will meet for the second time this season after playing to a 1-1 draw in April. Giorgos Giakoumakis unsurprisingly opened the scoring in the 70th minute before Gabirel Pereira leveled the game with a stunning strike from outside the box just two minutes later.
Both sides will be without key figures due to international duty, but it still has the makings of an entertaining game displaying up-and-coming youngsters such Atlanta's Caleb Wiley and NYCFC's Talles Magno.
Atlanta are a tough side to beat at home, having lost just once in front of the electric crowd at 'the Benz' in 2023. Will the 17s' support be enough to spur their side on to victory, or will the Blues conjure up a performance deserving of three points?
Where to watch Atlanta United vs. NYCFC on TV/live stream?
When is kick-off? 7:30 PM EST
Where is the game being played? Mercedes Benz Stadium
TV channel/live stream? MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
What time does TV coverage start? 7:15 PM EST
Atlanta United team news
Santiago Sosa has been ruled out with an ankle injury, and Erik Lopez is questionable with an ankle injury as well, while Golden Boot contender Giorgos Giakoumakis will miss the game due to yellow card accumulation.
Miles Robinson, who picked up a hamstring injury on international duty with the USMNT is unavailable for selection as he plans to take part in the Gold Cup. Derrick Etienne Jr. is also taking part in the Gold Cup with Haiti and is unavailable.
Thiago Almada and Luis Abram are both questionable as they are returning from international duty with Argentina and Peru, respectively.
Atlanta head coach Gonzalo Pineda will lean on defender Juanjo Purata, wingers Tyler Wolff and Caleb Wiley against the Citizens.
On paper, Atlanta's form in their last five games look quite formidable: five games unbeaten. However, all but one of those games was a draw, meaning the only win during that stretch was against D.C. United 3-1. Scoring goals hasn't been the problem for Atlanta but keeping the ball out of the net has seen them drop many points in 2023.
NYCFC team news
NYCFC's unavailable players list isn't as lengthy as Atlanta's. Thiago Martins underwent knee surgery earlier this month and is expected to be return around mid-July. James Sands will be at the Gold Cup with the USMNT, and unavailable for selection.
Justine Haak, Maxime Chanot, and Tony Alfaro are all in line to feature at some point in defense with Martins out and Sands on international duty.
NYCFC are winless in their last five games with two losses and three draws. However, they fought hard against Columbus Crew and New England Revolution to earn a point in both games at home. The Blues will need that fighting spirit in in the boisterous Mercedes Benz Stadium if they are take something positive from the game.
Prediction
If the Five Stripes had their key players available, they would more than likely have enough firepower to get three points in the bag. But due to key figures like Almada, Giakoumakis, and Robinson being unavailable, this game could be quite close especially with the young talent NYC has up front in Talles Magno.
NYCFC should have enough up front to get at least one goal between Magno, Santiago Rodriguez, and Gabriel Pereira. However, Atlanta tend to play quite well at home and should have enough on the wings in Wiley and Wolff along with Miguel Berry up front to score at least one goal as well.
Prediction: Atlanta United 1 - NYCFC 1
This article was originally published on 90min as Atlanta United vs. NYCFC - MLS preview: TV channel/live stream, teams news & prediction.