It's the finale of a three-game homestand for CF Montréal.

New York City FC are in town for this one, as both clubs look to climb the Eastern Conference standings with a win.

It was a disappointing midweek affair for the visitors, as they let a 4-2 lead slip in stoppage time to draw four-all with FC Cincinnati, while Montréal were on a bye for Wednesday's matches.

While Red Bull New York has been the preferred opponent for the Impact this season, it was NYCFC in 2025 that they found success against, winning both fixtures with 1-0 results.

How CF Montréal enter the match

It was a much-needed home victory over Red Bull New York last time out for the Impact, kicking off the Philippe Eullaffroy era on the right foot.

A switch to a third central midfielder helped solidify that area of the park, and they succeeded in exploiting RBNY's biggest weakness of balls in behind their high back line.

It'll be a different type of test against NYCFC, who typically play a more traditional 4-2-3-1, and will need to be broken down with a bit more nuance than just counter-attacks and exploiting the back line's pace issues.

Montréal will look to in-form man Prince Owusu, coming off a goal and three assists last weekend, to continue his strong form. Whether it be off set pieces or in transition, the Ghanaian number nine is the key figure in the attack, alongside the opportunistic winger Iván Jaime.

It'll be a tougher test to string two wins together, but a win at home here could really start to get their season back on track.

How New York City FC enter the match

The past month has been a struggle for 2025's Eastern Conference finalists, as their poor form has seen them pick up two draws and three losses in the past five MLS matches.

The most recent was a 4-4 home draw against a struggling Cincinnati side, where they conceded in the 90+2 and 90+5 to drop two important points at home.

However, some of the underlying numbers suggest this team is a bit better than their 3-3-3 record suggests.

They sit fourth in the league in goals scored and are a top 10 team in expected goals as well. Defensively, they're middle of the pack in terms of goals conceded, but rank a bit better in terms of the expected goals they allow.

The Pigeons are still a very possession-based side, ranking fourth in MLS in average possession per game, and sit seventh in total big chances this season.

Clearly, they're a team that can score, which is a bit of a welcome surprise considering the worries around the group in preseason with starting striker Alonso Martínez out long-term with an ACL tear.

Montréal will have to be wary of Nicolás Fernández Mercau, who has eight goals in nine matches this season, playing in a false nine role. That ranks him second in MLS to only FC Dallas' Petar Musa.

Elsewhere, the ageless Maxi Moralez is tied for first in MLS in assists, while players like Hannes Wolf and Agustín Ojeda are also dangerous off the wing.

Availability

Wiki Carmona was back in first-team training this week for Montréal, and could potentially feature on the bench this weekend, while it's probably too soon to see Hennadiy Synchuk back this weekend.

Noah Streit and Aleksandr Guboglo missed training on Wednesday, so their statuses should be up in the air, while Bode Hidalgo and Sunusi Ibrahim will likely remain out with their injuries.

For NYCFC, Draw Baiera, Martínez, and Andrés Perea are all out as they recover from their respective long-term injuries.

Projected XIs

TrueNorthFoot projects just one change for each side from their most recent fixtures, with Keaton Parks stepping into the midfield for New York City, while Mahala Opoku enters on the right wing in place of Streit.

CF Montréal (4-3-3): Thomas Gillier; Dawid Bugaj, Jalen Neal, Brayan Vera, Luca Petrasso; Victor Loturi, Samuel Piette, Matty Longstaff; Mahala Opoku, Prince Owusu, Iván Jaime

NYCFC (4-2-3-1): Matt Freese; Tayvon Gray, Thiago Martins, Raúl Gustavo, Kevin O'Toole; Keaton Parks, Aiden O'Neill; Agustín Ojeda, Maxi Moralez, Hannes Wolf; Nicolás Fernández Mercau

Game information and where to watch

📆 Saturday, April 25, 2026
⏰ 2:30 pm ET / 11:30 am PT
📺 Apple TV
🧑‍⚖️ Ramy Touchan
🏟 Stade Saputo, Montreal, Canada