Real Salt Lake vs. LAFC Betting – MLS, October 4, 2020

It goes without saying that Real Salt Lake and LAFC are both massively underachieving this year. The teams find themselves locked on 18 points in the bottom half of the Western Conference, with both sides enduring wildly inconsistent 2020 campaigns up to now.

RSL crushed LAFC 3-0 when the two teams met three weeks ago, and they go head-to-head again on Sunday, October 4. Can the Black & Gold gain their revenge? Or will the Claret & Cobalt come out on top once again?

I assess the bookies’ odds before providing my Real Salt Lake vs. LAFC prediction and betting pick.

Given LAFC’s stature, it is hardly surprising that the leading online soccer betting sites view the away side as the favorite to win this game. But with six defeats in their last nine outings, Bob Bradley’s men clearly aren’t the force they once were.

Meanwhile, Real Salt Lake has only lost three of their previous nine games, although three draws during that period mean the Utah club has picked up just three wins since the MLS is Back Tournament.

I assess both sides’ chances below.

It could be argued that Real Salt Lake has been even more inconsistent than LAFC over the past couple of months. Bradely’s men haven’t recorded a single draw since the regular season resumed, so at least you can pretty much bank on them to either win or lose.

As for RSL, their erratic post-lockdown record of three wins, three draws, and three defeats makes it extremely difficult to predict how they will fare in this game.

Freddy Juarez’s side returned to regular-season action with an impressive 4-1 victory over Colorado Rapids before picking up decent draws with Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders. A 3-0 win over LAFC followed, but the Claret & Cobalt has registered a number of disappointing results since then.

Defeats to Colorado and Vancouver Whitecaps, along with a goalless draw against Minnesota United last time out, have seen RSL slide down the standings, and their –3 goal difference is a cause for concern.

On the flip side, LAFC has endured some embarrassing defeats this year. But their 2-1 loss to bottom-club San Jose Earthquakes last weekend has to be the most humiliating yet, especially when you consider that Bradely’s side thrashed the Goonies 5-1 at the beginning of September.

The Los Angeles club has also secured big wins over Portland (4-2) and Vancouver (6-0) in recent weeks, although double-header defeats to LA Galaxy and Seattle have left the Black & Gold in a precarious position.

Of course, the loss of MVP Carlos Vela through injury hasn’t helped matters. But LAFC is still the top scorer in the Western Conference. However, only two sides in the division have a poorer defensive record than LAFC, and that is a problem that must be addressed if the team is to reach the play-offs.

I’m not going to lie to you, anything could happen in this clash. But with LAFC seemingly incapable of drawing games at the moment, I’m siding with Real Salt Lake on this occasion.

The inconsistency of both teams has been well documented this year, but I feel like RSL’s recent 3-0 victory over LAFC gives the home side the edge here.