by Darren Moore
Fourth-seeded Portland Timbers will face the seventh-seeded Real Salt Lake on Saturday night for a place in the MLS Cup.
With the top three seeds falling by the wayside, a pair of somewhat unlikely Western Conference finalists are set to decide who will represent the conference in MLS Cup when Portland Timbers host Real Salt Lake on Saturday, December 4th, at 6:30pm ET.
Portland Timberwolves vs Real Salt Lake Odds (90 min)
Here are those all-important odds, betting preview, and the best bets for Saturday’s MLS playoff match between Portland and Salt Lake.
In the 90-minutes Match Result betting market Portland are trading at odds of -147 with MyBookie with Real available at +380 and the draw is +290.
The fitness of star midfielder Sebastian Blanco, who scored two goals in the Timbers’ 3-1 victory over Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs before limping off the field against the Colorado Rapids last weekend with a hamstring injury, is a major source of concern for the home team heading into Saturday’s match.
Blanco’s status has been upgraded from doubtful to probable, meaning he may play Saturday night. The return of Blanco would also help Portland’s prospects, given Dairon Asprilla is sidelined after his red card against Colorado last weekend.
Preview
Portland are the clear favorites with the online sportsbooks not only because the game will be played at Providence Park, but also due to the fact that the Timberwolves have already won three consecutive games against Salt Lake this season.
Despite being the seventh seed, Real has shown to be a tenacious playoff squad this season, with hard-fought wins against Seattle and Sporting KC on the road and can definitely pose some problems for the home team.
Portland’s Sebastian Blanco recorded seven goals and seven assists in the regular season this year, but more crucially for this game, he was a thorn in the side of Real Salt Lake in three regular-season meetings this season, scoring two goals and adding three assists in those three encounters. And his supremacy over Portland’s Western opponent dates back even farther, with a total of seven goals and six assists in a total of ten games played in the past two seasons.
* MLS odds were correct at the time of writing and are subject to changes.
Darren lives & breathes sports betting and is always sniffing out his next value bet. His favourite sports to bet on are the NFL, horse racing and UFC but he will bet on anything if he thinks the odds are favourable.
