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Preview & Prediction: Portland Timbers vs LA Galaxy

On Saturday, the Portland Timbers will face the Los Angeles Galaxy, two sides who have had less than perfect beginnings to their respective Major League Soccer seasons.

The hosts are now on a three-game losing streak, while their guests travel to Providence Park still looking for their first win of the season. The Portland Timbers were defeated 5-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday. Caleb Wiley, Thiago Almada, and Georgios Giakoumakis scored in under an hour to put Giovanni Savarese’s men three behind, and goals from Luiz Araujo and Almada each side of Tega Ikoba’s consolation added gloss to the scoreline.

As a consequence, the Timbers have slid to 10th in the Western Conference standings, three points below the last automatic playoff berth despite having played one more game. The task of an opponent team that has only been defeated once in the past five editions of this game, winning three of the other four, awaits them next. The lone setback did occur in the most recent match, back in February, when Saturday’s hosts cruised to a comfortable 4-1 friendly triumph.

The Los Angeles Galaxy had to settle for a share of the spoils for the second game in a row after a 1-1 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday. Greg Vanney’s team fell down to Tristan Blackmon’s 14th-minute goal, but Kelvin Leerdam’s equaliser brought them level before halftime. With two points from three games, the Galaxy are 12th in the Western Conference, one point above of the bottom club Colorado Rapids, although with a game in hand.

Having failed to maintain a clean sheet in all but one of their past 16 away games in all competitions, Saturday’s visitors will need to shore up at the back to improve their chances of victory.

Match Insights

– Portland Timbers and LA Galaxy are facing off on 25th March 2023 in the MLS.
– In their last meeting, LA Galaxy beat Portland Timbers 2-1.
– Out of their 32 previous matches, LA Galaxy has won 13 and Portland Timbers 12 with 7 matches ending in a draw.
– Portland Timbers is in poor form when playing at home while LA Galaxy is performing well when playing away.
– Their previous encounters have averaged 3.63 goals per game with both teams scoring in 69% of total matches.
– This season, Portland Timbers have earned an average of 1.8 Points Per Game at home while LA Galaxy has an average of 1.17 Points Per Game in away games.

Match Forecast

– The match will likely be dominated by Portland Timbers, with their superior attacking and counter-attacking skills.
– Portland’s weakness in keeping possession of the ball could cause them difficulties against a well-organized LA Galaxy defense.
– LA Galaxy’s weakness in finishing scoring chances might prevent them from taking advantage of any counter-attacking opportunities.
– Both teams are likely to play in their own half, with Portland’s aggressive approach potentially leading to them giving away fouls in dangerous areas.
– LA Galaxy’s lack of aggression and propensity to play in their own half could see Portland dominate the game through long balls and attempted through balls.

Portland Timbers are expected to score during a fast break situation. If they happen to fall behind during the match, it is also expected that they will make a successful comeback.

LA Galaxy is currently performing well in their away games, while Portland Timbers is struggling at home. Looking at their previous encounters, the matches have been quite evenly matched, with a slight advantage for LA Galaxy. The average goals scored in these games are relatively high, with both teams being able to find the back of the net. Based on these factors, we predict that LA Galaxy will come out on top with a score of 2-1.

Kajal S

Kajal S

kajal

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