MONTREAL – This is the biggest home game of the year for the Montreal Impact. The New York Red Bulls are coming to town for a CONCACAF Champions League match at Stade Saputo this Wednesday at 8pm and a win would put the bleu-blanc-noir in the driver’s seat to finish tops in its group and qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time since 2009.
“It’s a big game for us and the guys will be ready for this opportunity,” said head coach Frank Klopas. “Playing at home and having an opportunity to take a big advantage in Champions League with a win is huge. They know what’s at stake and it will be great to have a packed stadium with our fans supporting us on.”
“With the circumstances of this season, it’s become the biggest game of the year for us,” added Hassoun Camara. “We are hoping for a really good crowd so we can share this big moment with them. We know that winning this group could be a great moment for the club, the city and our fans.”
The Impact is in first spot in the group, with six points from two games, while the Red Bulls have three points from only one game played and C.D. FAS is eliminated with three losses.
The Red Bulls have a lot of skill up front with the likes of Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill, but may be without golden boot leading striker Bradley Wright-Phillips, still sidelined with an injury.
RBNY beat the Impact back in August by a 4-2 score at Red Bull Arena, but has a pretty charged week of games coming up, having to play in Philadelphia last Saturday (2-2 draw), in Montreal midweek before heading back home to take on Seattle for this weekend’s fixture. With a playoff position still in reach, some roster management may come in to play at some point for New York.
But for the Impact, it doesn’t matter who plays for the Red Bulls. What matters is how they play their own game.
“We are going to put our best foot forward and come out with a good performance,” explained goalkeeper Evan Bush. “We’ve put a lot into this tournament. We see this as it’s in our grasp and we have to go out and get it. They are a really talented group up front, but we have just as much talent in areas. We have to go in with confidence.”
The Impact may be able to match the offensive firepower in New York with the likes of Marco Di Vaio and Ignacio Piatti both scoring four goals and adding two assists in their team’s previous six games across all competitions. In addition, Di Vaio has torn it up in CCL play, having tallied a total of three goals and an assist in just two games.
The Impact will then host the San Jose Earthquakes this Saturday at 7:30pm EDT, at Stade Saputo. Excellent tickets still remain via ticketmaster.ca
GAME NOTES:
- Midfielder Felipe and defender Krzysztof Król will not be available due to suspensions following cautions in the last Champions League games.
- Thierry Henry scored his 50th career MLS regular-season goal at PPL Park last Saturday in a 2-2 draw with the Union. The French striker has nine goals and 12 assists in 25 games this season in MLS.
- Goalkeeper Luis Robles is second in MLS with 94 saves.
