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Toronto FC and New York City FC are set to square off for the fourth time this year in their upcoming MLS fixture on Wednesday night.
The meeting is set to take place at the Rentschler Field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium, East Hartford, where Toronto are unbeaten in the regular season.
Toronto FC's nine-game unbeaten streak came to an end with a shock 5-0 away loss to Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union in their weekend fixture.
New York City FC got back to winning ways when they defeated Vancouver Whitecaps, the other Canadian side in the MLS.
Toronto need a win to keep their Supporters' Shield hopes alive while a victory for NYCFC would go a long way in sealing their playoffs spot.
Toronto FC vs New York City FC Head-to-Head
Since 2015, Toronto FC and New York City FC have locked horns on 17 occasions in MLS fixtures.
Toronto have a slight edge in terms of head-to-head record, winning seven of their encounters, while five games ended NYCFC's way and the remaining five games ended in a draw.
In their three meetings this year, The Reds recorded a couple of 1-0 wins while one game ended 3-1 in favour of the Boys in Blue. In terms of form, the Eastern Conference leaders have fared better against fifth-placed NYCFC.
Toronto FC form guide: L-W-D-W-W
New York City FC form guide: W-L-D-L-W
Toronto FC vs New York City FC Team News
Toronto FC's injury list is one of the longest in the league and they added star playmaker Pablo Piatti to it after the 31-year-old withdrew from the squad before their 5-0 loss to Union.
Chris Mavinga, Jozy Altidore, Alex Bono and Jonathan Orosio are all sidelined through injuries. Coach Greg Vanney has said in a conference that Eriq Zavaleta and Ayo Akinola should be ready for the game.
Injuries: Ifunanyachi Achara (knee), Chris Mavinga (hamstring), Jozy Altidore (hamstring), Alex Bono (finger), Pablo Piatti (calf), Jonathan Orosio (hamstring)
Doubtful: Eriq Zavaleta, Ayo Akinola
Suspensions: None
For NYCFC, Heber, James Sands, Gedion Zelalem and Tayvon Gray are all out for the remainder of the season. Maxi Moralez marked his return to action with a goal against Montreal in their 3-1 win.
Taty Castellanos and Maxime Chanot will also mark their returns after serving their one-game suspensions in their win over Montreal.
Injuries: Gedion Zelalem (knee), Tayvon Gray (undisclosed), Heber (ACL), James Sands (foot)
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: None
Toronto FC vs New York City FC Predicted XI
Toronto FC Predicted XI (4-4-2): Quentin Westberg; Richie Laryea, Omar Gonzlaez, Laurent Ciman, Auro; Nick DeLeon, Michael Bradley, Marco Delgado, Tsubasa Endoh; Alejandro Pozuelo, Erickson Gallardo
New York City FC Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Sean Johnson; Anton Tinnerholm, Sebastien Ibeagha, Alexander Callens, Gudmundur Thorarinsson; Alexander Ring, Keaton Parks; Jesus Medina, Ronald Matarrita, Gary Mackay-Stevens; Maxi Moralez
Toronto FC vs New York City FC Prediction
Toronto FC are the league leaders in the Eastern Conference and will be eager to get ahead of Philadelphia Union in the race for the Supporters' Shield with a win in this game.
Toronto's nine-game winless streak came to an end against Union and a lengthy injury list may yet again hinder them from delivering their best performance. They will have to rely on the in-form Alejandro Pozuelo who still leads the league in assists with 10 this season in addition to his eight goals.
NYCFC are back to winning ways and will be aiming to ride out their momentum to secure a playoff spot. Both sides are dealing with injuries, but we believe Toronto have what it takes to register a win in this fixture on Wednesday night.
Prediction: Toronto FC 2-1 New York City FC
