Toronto FC vs Charlotte FC Prediction: Many goals is a luxury both clubs can't afford

The Toronto fans are going to watch their team play the first league game at the BMO Field this season. They had been on the road twice already and they managed a draw and a win, now they prepare to take on Charlotte at home.

Charlotte also had a win and a draw in the opening 2 games and now they prepare to take on Toronto in game 3.

Both clubs have managed to get a positive start to the campaign and now the aim is to maintain the momentum for as long as they can.

Toronto FC

Toronto FC won't feel disappointed about the way their start to the season. 2 games away from home without a defeat is one hell of a result and the team is feeling confident ahead of their first home game of the season. 

After playing a goalless draw with FC Cincinnati in their very first game, they went on to beat New England Revolution in the second game.

Toronto's manager John Herdman will feel pleased with the result of the second game. He had his team set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation and they managed to pull off a win. They weren't bright according to the stats, but the result surely put the doubts to rest.

Stats from both games proves Toronto's playing ability is not impressive. In the New England Revolution game, they had just 36% possession, 2 shots on target, 0 counter attacks and just 1 big chance created. And Sean Johnson was the best player on the pitch for Toronto FC after making 6 saves in the game.

Beyond results, John Herdman will need to question his team's quality on the pitch because that's going to play a huge role in defining their season. He's most likely going to maintain the shape and the squad like the previous game.

Charlotte FC

Charlotte FC had similar results as Toronto in their opening 2 games and they also seek to maintain momentum. 

Charlotte won against New York City FC in the first match at home, courtesy of Adilson Malanda’s goal in the 8th minute. And then in the 2nd game, they played a 1-1 draw against Vancouver Whitecaps away from home. Luri Tavares put them in the lead in the 31st minute but they conceded on the brink of halftime.

Charlotte's manager Dean Smith has managed to allow his side to play an open style. He favors the 4-2-3-1 formation like he did in both games. Charlotte had 51% of the possession against Vancouver Whitecaps. They also had 5 shots on target and 5 corner kicks. They also created 3 big chances and had 7 shots in the opponent's box.

It will be a battle of tactics when Charlotte FC faces Toronto away from home. Toronto tends to just maintain a solid shape and allow the oppositon play, while Charlotte FC are interested in dominating and dictating play. 

Head to Head

Toronto FC and Charlotte FC have played only 4 matches against each other according to the h2h. Toronto won 2 games, while Charlotte won 1 and they drew 1 game.

Analysis and Predictions

Toronto are horrible to watch, at least they have been in the last 2 games away from home. So, it would be interesting to see how they play on home soil this season. Charlotte FC are not very much a team without faults just yet. They've had 2 good games, but to say they are immune from a defeat is absolutely absurd. I say this game is 50/50 for both sides.

An interesting stat worth considering is, the amount of goals both sides score. There's been less than 2.5 goals scored in 5 of the last 6 games of Toronto and 4 of the last 5 games of Charlotte FC. 

• Total Goals Under 3 at 1.6 Odds
• Total Goals Under 3 at 1.60 Odds
• Draw FT at 3.50 Odds