Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers Betting Preview – MLS, October 14, 2020

This matchup brings together two sides in wildly contrasting form. Real Salt Lake has slipped to second-bottom in the Western Conference following three straight defeats, while a five-game winning streak has left Portland Timbers joint-top of the division.

The teams produced a thrilling 4-4 draw at the end of August, but given the current 12-point gulf between Portland and RSL, it’s safe to say the Timbers are expected to come out on top this time around.

You can find my Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers prediction and betting pick below.

I literally just mentioned that Portland (2.75) is likely to win on Wednesday. However, the top online betting sites don’t seem to agree with me.

Despite the Timbers’ seemingly unstoppable winning run, Real Salt Lake (2.35) heads into this clash as the marginal home favorite. Sure, the odds gap is pretty small. But given that RSL has only managed to pick up one win in their previous seven outings, these prices aren’t what I expected.

Let’s attempt to make sense of the odds by assessing both sides’ chances.

Real Salt Lake finished third in the Western Conference last year, but have only won four of their 17 games in 2020, it is safe to say that Freddy Juarez’s men won’t be improving on last term’s achievements this time around.

I am not exaggerating when I say that RSL has been dreadful in recent weeks. The Claret & Cobalt’s last victory came back in September, but since then, one draw and three defeats have seen the Utah club fall to second-bottom in the standings.

RSL has only managed to get on the scoresheet three times in their last four outings, yet Damir Kreilach is the only RSL player that has actually found the target in that time. Indeed, LAFC and Seattle Sounders have both gifted the Claret & Cobalt own goals recently, but Juarez’s side still lost on both occasions.

By contrast, Portland has had no issues with hitting the back of the net lately. The Timbers kicked off their five-game winning streak with a 6-1 thrashing of San Jose before securing their fourth straight win with a 6-3 victory over LA Galaxy last week.

The Quakes were on the receiving end of another Portland masterclass on Sunday. A Jaroslaw Niezgoda double, along with a goal from Felipe Mora, saw Giovanni Savarese’s men claim a comfortable 3-0 win last time out.

Unsurprisingly, the Oregon club is the second-highest scorer in MLS this year. Only LAFC has netted more goals than the Timbers in 2020, and Bob Bradley’s side is six points behind Portland.

The Timbers have scored 14 more goals than Real Salt Lake this season, so I can’t help but fear the worst for RSL on Wednesday.

We all know that home advantage can have a massive impact on soccer matches. But even with Real Salt Lake playing at Rio Tinto Stadium, I can’t make a case for Juarez’s side winning this week.

At the end of the day, Portland is on a different level to RSL right now. The Timbers are firmly in contention for the Supporters’ Shield, so I’m backing them to maintain their winning run in Utah.