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Real Salt Lake will be out to secure their first away win since March and strengthen their position in the playoff qualifying places when they visit Providence Park to face Portland Timbers on Sunday morning. As for the hosts, they have picked up four points from a possible six since returning from the World Cup break and will look to keep the ball rolling as they push for playoff qualification.
Read our Portland Timbers vs Real Salt Lake preview, prediction and betting tips below, while you can also find more of our expert predictions on today's betting tips.
Portland Timbers vs Real Salt Lake key stats
- Real Salt Lake have failed to win their last five away games in the league, losing three and claiming two draws since scraping a 3-2 victory over Atlanta United on March 8.
- Portland Timbers are unbeaten in four of their most recent five home matches, picking up two wins and two draws since March 22.
- Portland Timbers have conceded the opening goal in four of their last five games, while also trailing at half time in each of those four games.
- There have been over 2.5 goals in five of Real Salt Lake’s last six matches, with both teams scoring in five of the six games since May 10.
Portland Timbers vs Real Salt Lake: Can the Claret and Cobalt bounce back against inspired Portland?
Portland Timbers vs Real Salt Lake — Tale of the Tape
| Portland Timbers | vs | Real Salt Lake |
|---|---|---|
| 12th (MLS Western Conference) | Position | 4th (MLS Western Conference) |
| 18 | Points | 26 |
| 29 | Goals For | 27 |
| 31 | Goals Against | 22 |
| 1 | Clean Sheets | 2 |
| 12th | Home / Away Rank | 13th |
The World Cup break has indeed inspired an upturn in form for Portland Timbers, as they fought back from behind twice to snatch a 2-2 draw against FC Dallas at Providence Park on Thursday morning.
After Kevin Kelsy scored in the 66th minute to cancel out Patrickson Delgado’s first-half opener, Peter Musa drilled home a low shot in the 88th minute to put Dallas in front, but Felipe Mora’s last-gasp strike in the second minute of stoppage time saw Portland salvage a point.
Following a surprise 5-1 victory over Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field in their first outing after the World Cup break, Portland Timbers have now picked up four points from their last two games, having managed just four points from the five games preceding this run.
This turnaround has rekindled hopes of a third consecutive playoff appearance, with Marti Cifuentes’s men rising into 12th place in the Western Conference standings with 18 points from 16 games, four points off ninth-placed Minnesota United in the second qualifying playoff spot.
Meanwhile, with the MLS in full swing after the break, it was a sour return to action for Real Salt Lake on Thursday when they suffered a 3-1 loss against Los Angeles FC at BMO Stadium.
First-half strikes from Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga, and a 68th-minute own goal from DeAndre Yeldin put Los Angeles FC on course for a third straight league win before Lukas Engel netted a consolation for the visitors with four minutes left in normal time.
Real Salt Lake had gone unbeaten in each of their previous four matches across all competitions, going into the World Cup break with two wins and one draw from three league games before thrashing Championship side Burnley 4-1 in a friendly on July 16.
Despite their worrying away form, Pablo Mastroeni’s men remain fully in the mix for playoff qualification, as they sit fourth in the West, level on 26 points with fifth-placed Dallas, and six points off conference leaders Vancouver Whitecaps.
Real Salt Lake will fancy their chances of bouncing back this weekend against an opposing side who have failed to win seven of their last 10 meetings in all competitions, losing four and claiming three draws since October 2022.
Whispers’ prediction: Portland Timbers 2-1 Real Salt Lake
| Portland Timbers | vs | Real Salt Lake |
|---|---|---|
DDLLW |
Form | LWWDL |
| 5 | Points | 7 |
| 10th (Western Conference) | Form Table | 7th (Western Conference) |
| 10 | Goals For | 8 |
| 10 | Goals Against | 8 |
DDLLW |
Form (All Comps) | WLWDL |
Whispers predicts: Portland Timbers 2-1 Real Salt Lake
While both teams will believe that they are the favourites here, an inspired Portland Timbers will fancy their chances against a Real Salt Lake side who have struggled for results on their travels.
With seven goals scored across their two matches after the World Cup break, we see Portland outscoring the Claret and Cobalt to claim a narrow victory in front of their home supporters.
The bookmakers have Portland to win at 7/5 (2.40), while our second pick of the game is over 2.5 goals at 47/100 (1.47), with five of Portland’s last six games seeing at least three goals.
Cifuentes’s men have managed just one clean sheet in their last seven games, and Portland to win + BTTS – Yes at 11/4 (3.75) is the value bet for us, while we pick a correct score of 2-1 at 9/1 (10.00) from the correct score market.
> Full-time result – Portland to win at 7/5 (2.40) | Likelihood: Possible
> Over 2.5 goals – Yes at 47/100 (1.47) | Likelihood: Possible
> Correct score: 2-1 at 9/1 (10.00) | Likelihood: Outsider