MLS: Portland Timbers vs. LAFC Betting Preview, Odds, News, Prediction

The closing game of today’s MLS program takes place in Portland, where Timbers await LAFC in a clash between two playoff contenders. But not only that, these teams have excellent teams and are always in the mix when it comes to winning trophies. Though, Portland’s bad luck is doing everything this season to eliminate Giovanni Savarese‘s team from the title race, with several of their players being out for the season. On the other side, LAFC is a bit quieter than in the previous years, not posting big wins and trashing rivals easily, which was their trademark. Maybe Bob Bradley saves the best for the postseason.

Preview

Portland Timbers (+260) finally won last weekend, taking down FC Dallas with a minimal result, 1-0. It was a refreshment for the Timbers, who had three in a row without success, two of them being back-to-back losses.

At first, they would play 2-2 against Dynamo on the road, and then lose at home to Minnesota United, 0-1, and in Austin to FC, 4-1, which was a very big defeat, nobody expected to see.

It seems that the injuries and the absences forced Savarese to change the style of play. Portland was a very efficient team, and their matches often ended with three or more goals, but in the last three weeks, we’ve seen over 2.5 hits only once.

LAFC (-110) raised the form over the past couple of games, and have three consecutive triumphs, four in the latest five encounters. It all started against Dallas, 2-0 for Bradley’s side, but after that, they would suffer a narrow defeat to SKC on the road, 2-1.

Vela and the guys entered the zone from that moment on, with three wins, two away from home, in Salt Lake City vs. Real, 0-1, and in Austin, 0-2. The most recent was against Real Salt Lake, 2-1, only in the City of Angels.

Diego Rossi leads the team’s scoring list with five goals, while Carlos Vela took the role of a packer, with the Mexican setting up four goals. Though, we might say that the best player in LAFC is Jose Cifuentes with three goals and assists each.

Latest News

Now to talk about Portland’s bad luck. Andy Polo, Jeff Attinella, and Ismaila Jome are all out until the end of 2021. On top of that, Cristhian Paredes is out with a thing injury, while the Polish forward Jaroslaw Niezgoda hurt his ACL.

Meanwhile, Kwadwo Opoku is the only one out in LA because of a knee injury.

Head to Head

The last time Timbers and FC played was in November 2020 in LA, and it ended 1-1. The past four games between these teams all saw both teams scoring.

Prediction

We don’t think that this match could produce high efficiency, because of a recent trend on both sides. From the above-mentioned results, it is obvious that Portland and LA play a bit more cautious than before. So our first pick here is moderate efficiency, 2 or 3 goals. The second one would be the guests to post a victory. Bradley’s guys are in better shape, while Timbers have massive problems whose consequences can’t be covered up that easily.

 

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