The Portland Timbers are looking to grab some momentum at home Saturday when they host the LA Galaxy in an MLS match at Providence Park. The Galaxy also need to get rolling, as the teams have combined for one victory in their first seven matches. Portland (1-0-3) have lost three straight since a 1-0 victory against Sporting KC in their opener. They come in off a 5-1 road thrashing against Atlanta United last Saturday. The Galaxy (0-2-1) opened with a 3-1 loss to FC Dallas but have forged consecutive draws, including 1-1 last Saturday against Vancouver. The Timbers fell one point shy of a playoff spot last season, while the Galaxy finished fourth in the Western Conference and lost 3-2 to rival LAFC in the semifinals.
Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. ET in Portland, Ore. The Timbers are +135 favorites (risk $100 to win $135), with the Galaxy +195 underdogs, in Caesars Sportsbook's latest Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy odds. A draw is priced at +235 and the over/under for total match goals is set at 2.5. Before locking in any Galaxy vs. Timbers picks or MLS predictions, you need to see what SportsLine soccer expert Brandt Sutton has to say.
Sutton, a former collegiate soccer player, has been SportsLine's top soccer editor for nearly five years. He has followed soccer closely for much longer and factors in managerial tactics, projected lineups and past performances to make the most-informed decisions possible, keeping his finger on the pulse of the game all over the globe.
Sutton is on a stunning 12-2 run on his 2022-23 Champions League picks so far, bringing a profit of $1,100 for $100 bettors. He also finished 2022 as SportsLine's top soccer expert with a 165-130-2 mark, returning nearly $2,200 for $100 players.
Now, Sutton has broken down LA Galaxy vs. Portland Timbers from every angle and just revealed his picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see Sutton's picks. Here are the betting lines and trends for Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy:
- Timbers vs. Galaxy spread: Portland -0.5 (+120)
- Timbers vs. Galaxy over/under: 2.5 goals
- Timbers vs. Galaxy money line: Portland +135, LA +195, Draw +235
- POR: The Timbers have scored in 11 straight games, dating back to the 2022 season
- LA: The Galaxy have allowed 11 goals in their past 13 games, dating to last season
- Timbers vs. Galaxy picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why you should back the Portland Timbers
Portland will have the edge at Providence Park, where they have a rabid and vocal following. They lost to St. Louis there two weeks ago and have not lost consecutive home matches in more than two years. They went 8-6-3 at home last season, with a plus-9 goal differential, while Los Angeles was 6-4-7 and minus-3 in 2022 road matches. The Timbers have scored in each one of the past 14 home matchups with the Galaxy, going 7-3-4 with a 32-21 goal advantage.
Dairon Asprilla is among the players who will miss this game because of injury. He was the team's top scorer with 10 goals last season, but the Timbers are still in decent shape. Jaroslaw Niezgoda had nine goals and Santiago Moreno scored seven in 2022. Portland have scored in all four matches so far, with Juan Mosquera netting a goal and adding an assist. The Galaxy will be missing Chicharito Hernandez, one of the league's superstars and an 18-goal scorer in 2022.
Why you should back the LA Galaxy
The Galaxy are 3-1-1 in the past five overall meetings, and the only setback was a friendly matchup last month. They won the last meeting at Providence Park 3-1. Both teams are dealing with injuries, but the Galaxy should be able to exploit a Timbers defense that has been awful so far. Portland have conceded 10 goals over its past three games, going down by three goals less than an hour into last week's loss in Atlanta. The Galaxy have conceded one goal in their past two games.
The Galaxy are five-time MLS champions, so they will have a sense of urgency to get a positive result. Dejan Joveljic, who scored 11 goals last season, can carry the attack and has scored once so far this campaign. The Serbian striker also scored the equalizer in the most recent league meeting, a 1-1 road draw last June. Defender Kelvin Leerdam has a goal and an assist. The Timbers' lack of structure has put pressure on the goalkeepers, who have a combined 59.1 save percentage.
How to make LA Galaxy vs. Portland Timbers picks
Sutton has analyzed Saturday's Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy match from all sides, and he has his confident best bet and a full breakdown of the match. He's only sharing that pick here.
So where does all the betting value lie for Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy? Visit SportsLine now to see the best bet for Timbers vs. Galaxy, all from the expert who has crushed his soccer picks, and find out.
