MLS: San Jose Earthquakes vs. LAFC Betting Preview, Odds, Prediction

San Jose Earthquakes have just one win in the past 13 matches, and they will be looking to stop that trend against LAFC, who is also in the down phase recently. San Jose is only four points behind the playoff zone and has enough time to pump up the tempo and reach the postseason. Meanwhile, the FC’s poor stretch of results eliminated them from the race for the top of the Western Conference. Instead of the chase for another Supporters’ Shield Cup, they now have to watch out not to slip down from the top seven teams in the West.

Preview

San Jose (+250) didn’t lose in six consecutive events, but the Quakes won just once, posting five draws throughout that span. We need to say that Matias Almeyda’s side played five matches on the road during that span and that it definitely impacted the overall performances.

We’ve noticed that when San Jose plays, goals on both ends are pretty frequent, and that only one match over the past seven didn’t end like that. Also, the six most recent games all saw under 2.5 scores.

The offensive lineup was very bad during May and June, scoring just one goal in six contests, and as soon as they began hitting the target, San Jose showed some signs of life.

LAFC (-120) won just two points of the possible 12 in the past four matches, allowing at least two goals in each. At first, Portland Timbers defeated Bob Bradley’s boys in Oregon, 2-1. After that event, LAFC posted two draws with the same result, 2-2 against Whitecaps and Minnesota United, losing the most recent fixture, 1-4 to SKC. Three latter matchups were all at home.

The previous five games were all with both sides to hit the net and over 2.5 goals, which wasn’t the case earlier this year when LAFC relied upon a defense that often kept clean sheets.

When examining FC’s road games, we see that only one match since the start of the campaign concluded outside 2 or 3 goals. Also, FC has just two wins away from home.

Latest News

Benjamin Kikakovic will be the only one ineligible for playing for the home team.

LAFC’s Jesus Murillo picked up a muscle injury in the last match, while Kwadwo Opoku didn’t recover from the ankle injury. Tommy Thompson and Matt Bersano are out due to knee issues.

Head to Head Games

The most recent event was in November 2020, and the Quakes used the home-field advantage, posting a 3-2 win. Two months earlier, they posted a triumph in LA, 1-2.

Prediction

This is one of the last chances for San Jose to make a push for the playoffs. FC comes to town in a shaky mood but still capable of endangering the Quakes’ defense. Our best pick for this matchup would be both teams to score, as both backlines showed inconsistency over the past few weeks. The odds for our pick are currently settled at -200, and even though that sounds low for some of our readers, rest assured that the risk is minimal, which is more important.

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