There’s MLS action at Providence Park this weekend. Portland Timbers are going well in the Western Conference and they’ll be hoping to put three more points on the board against New England Revolution.
Portland have certainly enjoyed life in front of their own fans this season. They’ve scored in every home fixture and haven’t lost in nine MLS games on their own patch, since losing their season opener against Vancouver.
Their overall form has been pretty solid too, but they did put in one of their worst performances of the campaign last time out, losing 3-0 in Canada against Toronto. Phil Neville will certainly be expecting a response from his team here.
New England are down in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, and they’ve only won one of their last eight MLS matches. However, the Revs certainly shouldn’t be written off here given they’ve been much better away than at home this season, and they’re currently on a seven-game unbeaten run on their travels.
How the bookies view it: Portland the odds-on favourites
Boylesports make Portland Timbers the favourites at 20/21 to win this game, while New England are priced at 21/10 to leave with maximum points. The value could lie with the draw at 13/5 though, with those odds looking good given five of the last eight Revs matches have finished level.
Recent head-to-head: A history of draws
The recent history of this fixture also strongly suggests that backing the draw is the way to go here. All of the last five matches have finished level, with 1-1 or 2-2 scorelines in every meeting since a 2-0 Timbers win way back in 2015. This is only the second meeting in the 2020s however.
Players to watch: Da Costa to light things up
There are a number of key creative threats in this game, with Carles Gil so often the player that makes New England tick. David da Costa plays in a similar role for Portland and he’s been in good form in terms of creating opportunities, with four assists in his last nine MLS matches.
If you fancy the 24-year-old to deliver the goods here too, you can back Da Costa over 0.5 assists at 4/1 with Bet365.
Predicted Lineups
Portland have fitness doubts over goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau and defender Kamal Miller, but they’re hopeful both will be fit. Antony and Jonathan Rodriguez are injury absentees, while Jimer Fory is suspended.
The visitors are in better shape, with Ignatius Ganago their only definite injury absentee. Alex Bono and Tomas Chancalay are both fitness doubts.
Portland: Crepeau, Miller, Surman, Zuparic, Mosquera, Chara, Ayala, Moreno, Da Costa, Mora, Kelsy.
New England: Ivacic, Fofana, Beason, Ceballos, Yueill, Miller, Feingold, Yusuf, Gil, Urruti, Campana.
Anything else catch the eye?
With Portland the team that is dealing with a few more selection problems, and with New England seemingly much more comfortable when they play away from home, there’s plenty of reason to think we could see the visitors get a result in this game.
You can back New England or draw at 4/5 with Bet365 in the double chance market as Caleb Porter’s side look to extend their unbeaten run on the road past three months.
Portland Timbers vs New England Revolution Betting Tips & Predictions
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