San Jose Earthquakes face bitter rivals LA Galaxy for the California Clasico on Sunday in the MLS. Neither team has been at their best lately but the Galaxy have generally fared better and should have the edge here.
San Jose Earthquakes have been one of the worst teams in the MLS this season having claimed just three wins from their 16 league matches so far. They have spent much of the campaign rooted to the bottom of the Western Conference.
There appears to be no end in sight for San Jose Earthquakes’ problems as they head into Sunday’s clash on a five-match winless run across all competitions. They have lost three of the last four matches in that run and were beaten 2-0 by Real Salt Lake in their previous fixture.
One positive for the Earthquakes is that they often do their best work at home. Alex Covelo’s men have lost just once at home this season, winning three of their last four matches on their own turf.
LA Galaxy have also not been at their best this season, although they remain firmly in the mix for a playoff finish, sitting sixth on the table. They warmed up for Sunday’s clash with a defeat as they were beaten 2-1 at home by Sacramento Republic in the US Open Cup.
Greg Vanney’s men were unbeaten in their previous three matches prior to the loss to Sacramento. Among the results for the Galaxy in that run is a 3-1 victory over local rivals and Western Conference leaders Los Angeles FC.
LA Galaxy have also shown some good form on their recent travels with just one defeat in their last six away matches. They have won two of the last three matches in that run, including a 1-0 victory over Austin FC, who are third in the West.
How the bookies view it
The bookies are split on this one with a win for San Jose Earthquakes priced at 20/13 by SBK while bet365 is also offering odds of 17/10 for an LA Galaxy win. A draw is set at odds of 11/4 by BoyleSports.
Head to head
LA Galaxy have a 38-34 advantage with 18 draws from 90 previous matches against San Jose Earthquakes. The Galaxy have also won two of the last three meetings and claimed a 3-1 victory the last time they were away to San Jose.
Players to watch
Jeremy Ebobisse has been the shining light in a disappointing campaign for San Jose Earthquakes with nine goals in 16 MLS matches this season. The striker was on target in his last appearance against LA Galaxy and is priced at 15/8 by Paddy Power to score anytime.
As always, Javier Hernandez has been the standout player for La Galaxy and will be looking to add to his six MLS goals this season. The Mexican striker had a brace on his last visit to San Jose and is priced at 7/4 by 10bet to get on the score sheet on Sunday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Goals are expected on Sunday as both teams have plenty of attacking quality and enjoy an open style of play. Both teams have had second half goals in their last two meetings and a similar outcome is priced at 9/5 with SBK while over 3.5 goals is priced at 13/8 by William Hill.
LA Galaxy have opened the scoring in two of the last three meetings and could be backed to grab the first goal on Sunday at 21/20 with Coral.
This MLS match between San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy will be played on Jun 26, 2022 and kick off at 03:00. Check below for our tipsters best San Jose Earthquakes vs LA Galaxy prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
