CF Montreal face the toughest test of recent times as they try to expand their undefeated streak to five games when they host New York City FC on Wednesday night in Orlando, Florida.
Montreal (4-3-4, 16 points), who were 2-0-2 in their last four games, conceded their third goal in their last four games – and five in their last nine games – with a 1-0 win over Inter Miami on Saturday.
But against New York (5-3-2, 17 points), Montreal will face a team that has scored 18 goals in 10 games and is rested in their first action since June 27th.
Montreal has not recorded any straight wins this season.
“When you look at the league, it’s amazing to see how you can move up the table with two or three straight wins,” said Montreal midfielder Djordje Mihailovic. “I think our last games have been good for us, although I think we got some points on the table against Nashville (with a 1-1 draw on the 26th. We want to convert those draws into wins.”
NYCFC, which has won its last two games, stands 7-1-4 all-time against the hosts. The only defeat was a 3-2 defeat in August 2015. Since then, New York has been unbeaten against Montreal in the last nine years (5-04).
But the club is not resting on its laurels.
“They have a really good team,” said head coach Ronny Deila. “I was in the stadium, saw them against Miami. They believe in the team, you can see that. They have a good structure, they have some really good players and they have a great team spirit.”
Deila’s squad will have another 10 days off after Wednesday’s game before playing three games in eight days from July 17-25.
“We have to make the best of the situation,” said Deila. “The positive thing about the breaks is that we can train a lot together. … This break was really good. The guys have a great mentality and we had a lot of fun. I think we’ll be ready for Wednesday’s game.”
–Field-level media
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