Both Desperate for a Victory
Last season, the Portland Timbers defeated Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference Final. This season, both are struggling to keep the pace. Portland is currently sitting in ninth place, while RSL is sixth.
Both are desperate for a victory. Portland looks to return to the Playoffs zone, while RSL hopes to end a four-game drought. According to the Soccer lines, the Timbers come in as the favorites thanks to a -120 price, while RSL is +300. A very similar scenario to the Final.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and USA MLS odds for Timbers vs Salt Lake. We’ve plenty of Soccer predictions for you to consider.
Timbers Having Serious Defensive Problems
Yes, the Portland Timbers’ last game finished with a goalless draw. However, they allowed 10 goals in their previous four games. Regarding the Western Conference top 10, no other team has allowed more goals than Portland with 13.
That goalless draw was against the Houston Dynamo. Not bad considering we’re talking about a team that has lost only one game. However, the Timbers should have won, especially considering that Houston played the last 15 minutes with one less player.
Offensively, Portland has nothing to worry about. The Timbers own one of the most talented units in the league. Yimmi Chara is the team’s top scorer with three goals. He’s followed by Dairon Asprilla and Jaroslaw Niezgoda, each with two. Don’t forget about Sebastian Blanco, who has had a rocky start to the season but is very talented.
That offensive power is the main reason for the Timbers to come in as the betting online favorites. Plus, they’ve scored in all of their games at Providence Park, where they own a 1-2-1 record. This will be a redeeming mission – most recently they lost 3-1 to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Salt Lake Hit Rock Bottom
Besides having four straight MLS games without winning, Real Salt Lake also managed to lose against Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC. The game was for the U.S. Open Cup and the USL League One team won 1-0.
Regarding its last four games in MLS, RSL is 0-2-2. Most recently, they were humiliated by New York City FC 6-0. They also lost to Sporting KC, the team sitting in twelfth place. Those two games were on the road.
“As a group, we’re trying to cheer each other up and keep working hard on getting better every day in training and try again tomorrow, so we can keep our heads up in Portland,” said defender Jaziel Orozco in an interview.
Their lone road victory was against the New England Revolution, 3-2. As for that Sunday, they were huge online gambling underdogs at +375. This time, an upset could make you win $400. That would be with a $100 bet on the visitors.
The good news – there are no major injuries to report.
Timbers vs Salt Lake Head-to-Head
- Previous Matches: 33
- Portland Timbers Victories: 13 (54 goals)
- Real Salt Lake Victories: 12 (49 goals)
- Draws: 8
As mentioned before, these two met for the last time in last season’s Western Conference Final. The Portland Timbers won 2-0 with goals from Felipe Mora and Santiago Moreno. RSL finished the game with 10 players as Aaron Herrera received a red card with only 11 minutes left.
The Timbers won the last four times they met. Plus, RSL won at Providence Park for the last time, in 2017.
Timbers vs Salt Lake Game Information
- Date: Saturday, April 23th
- Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Providence Park, Portland
- Timbers vs Salt Lake Live stream: fubo.tv
Timbers vs Salt Lake Betting Lines
Timbers vs Salt Lake Prediction
Desperate times call for desperate measures, that’s why you can expect this game to turn into a goal-fest. Both must go all-in right from the start, especially Real Salt Lake, which will create a lot of spaces for the Portland Timbers’ speedy attackers.
The home side will return to the winning column, but the safest Soccer picks is the over.
Score Prediction: Portland Timbers 3, Real Salt Lake 2
