Verdict: Total goals under 3.5
Best odds: 13/20
Bookmaker: Unibet
On Wednesday evening (early Thursday morning in Europe) Los Angeles FC will be welcoming Minnesota United at the Banc of California Stadium in LA, California, in the MLS. The match will be the 16th of the season for the hosts, and 15th for the visitors.
Los Angeles FC
Los Angeles have been whistling to the same tune this term as the last one so far, more or less. Having finished seventh in the Western Conference the last time out, at the moment they are fifth with 22 points, one more than Minnesota in sixth and two more than Real Salt Lake in seventh. They’ve also played a match more than both these rivals, so it’s not really and advantage over either.
Nonetheless, their recent form is pretty decent; three wins, one draw and two defeats from the last six league matches. They first lost to Sporting KC away by 2-1, then beat Real Salt Lake away by 0-1, beat Austin FC away by 0-2, completed a double over Real Salt Lake at home by 2-1, lost 2-1 away to Portland Timbers, and eventually played a 2-2 draw at home against Vancouver Whitecaps.
Team News
Manager Bob Bradley will be without the services of forward Kwadwo Opoku due to a knee injury, while midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye is still representing Canada at the CONCACAF Golden Cup.
Carlos Vela is certain to start upfront, as well as midfielder Jose Cifuentes who scored the 75th-minute equalizer against Vancouver in the last match and is now joint-top scorer at the club with five goals this season.
Minnesota United
As has been said, Minnesota United are in sixth place at the moment with 21 points, just one less than LA FC directly above, and one more than Real Salt Lake in seventh, and they have a game in hand on their opponents in this match. This is obviously the perfect opportunity for Adrian Heath’s men to leapfrog LA FC in the table and give their chances of keeping a place in the final series play-offs a significant boost.
They will be going to Los Angeles with some confidence, carrying a slightly better run of form into the match than the home side. Of their last six league matches, Minnesota won four, drew one and lost one. The run started with with a 2-0 triumph at home over Austin FC, followed by a 0-1 win away to Portland. Then came a short blip, when they drew 2-2 at home against San Jose and lost 2-0 away to Colorado, but they quickly bounced back with wins at home over Seattle Sounders (1-0) and Portland again (2-1).
Team News
Heath has a bit of a problem when it comes to centre-backs. Ike Opara is out with a concussion, and Michael Boxall is yet to recover from a hamstring injury suffered a few weeks ago.
Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair is away at the Golden Cup with Canada, but Tyler Miller has five clean sheets to his name, which makes him third in the MLS. Robin Lod and Emanuel Reynoso should be there to provide creativity in midfield, with Adrien Hunou set to lead the line upfront.
Conclusion
Minnesota are currently on better form and as has been said, they will be looking to take this chance to go above LA FC in the conference table. Whether the home side will be able to stop them remains to be seen. The bookies mostly see LA FC as the favourites, however.
Be that as it may, these teams rarely see more than three goals in their matches. It’s not unheard of, but it’s rare.
Verdict: Total goals under 3.5
Best odds: 13/20
Bookmaker: Unibet
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