Portland Timbers vs Columbus Crew Betting Tips & Predictions

Portland Timbers are starting this season as MLS champions, and the psychological edge they will have gained from the MLS Cup win over Columbus Crew could prove invaluable in this opening fixture in their defence of the title.

They have remained largely unchanged throughout the off-season, although the departure of Jorge Villafana and Rodney Wallace is likely to hit them harder than many people think. They have taken some strides towards replacing them though with the trade of Chris Klute, who could line up against his former club on Sunday.

Portland Timbers come into this match unbeaten since October, with six of their nine matches since then ending in a victory for the Timbers. A win against their final opponents on Sunday would increase their early season confidence even more as they look for a top two finish in the highly competitive MLS Western Conference.

Columbus Crew look to be taking a good route to trying to recreate their success last season. They may not have won anything, but a 2nd place finish in the Eastern Conference and an MLS Cup Final can still be counted as a good season.

They remain largely unchanged in terms of their first team, which means they will be relying on the heroics of 20 goal+ Kei Kamara again. However, the stability that makes up the heart of the Columbus Crew is undoubtedly a good thing.

Both of these sides were good in attack last season, which led to some high scoring matches. Three or more goals were scored in six of Portland Timbers last eight matches, with five of Columbus Crew’s last eight also going the same way. This makes odds of 1/1 for Over 2.5 Goals look very good value, and I’m also backing a 2-1 win for Portland Timbers at 15/2.