Top Soccer Betting Picks of the Week – May 1st Edition

Manchester City has clinched the English Premier League title for 2017-18 but are still looking for additional points to build a record for the season. Major League Soccer is still in the early weeks of the season, with several exciting matchups to consider as you put together your sports betting strategy for the weekend ahead. Check out our soccer betting predictions for some key tilts.

Top Soccer Betting Picks of the Week – May 1st Edition

Time to tie a bow on Week 9. https://t.co/9LdLJ4nWFr

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 1, 2018

Saturday, May 5

MLS: NYC FC at New York Red Bulls (1:55pm ET)

NYC FC is the upstart of the two Gotham franchises in Major League Soccer, but they are running away with the Eastern Conference so far, with a 6-2-1 record and 20 points in nine matches. They took apart FC Dallas a week ago, prevailing by a 3-1 score. David Villa posted a brace for the hosts, putting in his 400th and 401st goals in all career competitions. Jesus Medina opened the scoring for NYC FC in just the third minute. That result was FC Dallas’ first loss on the season, but what Villa showed us is that he is the class of MLS right now, and the remainder of the league needs to find ways to match the speed and passing of the East leaders. The Red Bulls are eight points behind NYC FC in the East, but the Red Bulls do have two matches in hand. They have a 4-0-3 record so far (12 points) and posted a 3-2 win at the L.A. Galaxy last Saturday. They opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a tally from Daniel Royer, and then Florian Valot staked the visitors to a 2-0 lead. Then the hosts came roaring back to tie the game with goals from Ola Kamara (58th minute) and Giovani dos Santos (65th) but a controversial penalty in the waning minutes was converted by Alejandro Romero (83rd). The Red Bulls put more shots on target (6-5) but found themselves hemmed in, as the Galaxy forced eight corners to the Red Bulls’ four. Holding on the road is a significant step for a muddling team, but they don’t have the weapons that NYC FC have right now. Soccer Betting Prediction: NYC FC 3, New York Red Bulls 2

Sunday, May 6

EPL: Huddersfield at Manchester City (8:30am ET)

Manchester City show no signs of letting up in the waning weeks of the season. Last Sunday, they took a 4-1 win at West Ham that saw the scoring begin in just the 12th minute, with Leroy Sane getting the opener. West Ham would contribute an own goal, and then Gabriel Jesus (52nd minute) and Fernandinho (63rd) would add to the onslaught. West Ham got a single tally from Aaron Cresswell in the 41st minute, but this game was all about City. They had 19 shots (8 on target) as opposed to 4 (1 on target) from West Ham and possessed the ball for 76 percent of the game. They also forced seven corners, as opposed to none for West Ham. Huddersfield come in just three points ahead of Southampton, who are the top team caught in the relegation part of the EPL table. They took a 2-0 home loss against Everton last week. Encouraging signs for Huddersfield were the fact that they held the ball for the majority of the game and forced four corners. While they generated nine shots, only two of them went on target, though, as they were not able to turn possession into chances. Soccer Betting Prediction: Manchester City 3, Huddersfield 0

MLS: Real Salt Lake at Orlando City (5:00pm ET)

Orlando City sit in third place in the Eastern Conference, with a 5-1-2 record and 16 points. They welcome a Real Salt Lake team that is just in sixth in the West, with a 3-1-4 record and 10 points. Orlando City went to Colorado last weekend and came away with a 2-1 win. Colorado opened the scoring with a tally from Dominique Badji in the 25th minute, but then Orlando City poured it on in the second half, netting a goal from Cristian Higuita in the 51st minute and then a late penalty converted by Yoshimar Yotun in the 76th minute. Orlando City possessed the ball for 56% of the time but generated just five shots on target. Colorado applied the pressure, forcing 11 corners, but they could not get the equalizer late. Real Salt Lake last played on April 27, falling 2-0 at Vancouver. The game was tight throughout — with Real Salt Lake controlling the ball 69 percent of the time and sending 18 shots toward the Vancouver goal. However, things went the way of the hosts, with Cristian Techera converting a penalty in the 74th minute. Despite the fact that Techera lost  his composure and got sent off with a straight red a minute later, Anthony Blondell was able to add another goal for the hosts to send Real Salt Lake home with no points. I don’t see the RSL side having the offensive firepower to make a dent in Orlando City’s hopes. Soccer Betting Prediction: Orlando City 3, Real Salt Lake 1