Whitecaps vs Portland Timbers Predictions & Betting Tips, Match Previews

Whitecaps’ shocking season is almost at an end now. Their playoff hopes ended weeks ago and they come into the final game of the season just hoping to avoid the bottom of the table. They currently sit in 9th position, three points ahead of Houston Dynamo.

Their form, whilst still inconsistent, has actually improved recently. They have only lost two of their last seven games in all competitions, although in the MLS they have still only won one of their last 13 outings, with five draws and seven defeats making up the rest of the results.

At home it doesn’t get any better for them, with one win in their last nine MLS games at home and three defeats in their last four. A lot of this lack of success can be attributed to their star players just not performing for them. Pedro Morales, who is their top scorer this season, only has three goals on home turf, with centre back Kendall Watson equalling this record. Morales has scored in his last two home games though, so backing him to get on the score-sheet at 13/5 might not be such a bad idea.

Portland Timbers’ defensive record on the road will certainly improve his chances. They have lost seven of their last eight trips away in all competitions, conceding 18 goals in the process. This is very bad news for fans of Portland Timbers, as the result of this match could prove crucial for last season’s MLS Cup winners.

The Cup holders currently sit just inside the MLS Western Conference playoff zone in 6th position, but they are only ahead of Sporting Kansas City on goal difference. If they fail to win this match there is the very real possibility that they will drop out of the all important playoff positions.

Failing to win seems almost an inevitability for them at this point as well. They haven’t won a single away match all season and have lost ten of them. During this time they have scored just 12 goals, so it really doesn’t look good for them at the moment. Chances are they will have to pray that Sporting Kansas City fail to get a result against San Jose Earthquakes.

It gets worse for the visitors. Whitecaps have scored ten of their 24 home goals from set pieces thanks to their ability in the air. Portland Timbers have conceded nine times from set pieces this season and struggle to defend against wide attacks. Attacks down the wing tend to result in crosses into the box from Whitecaps, so they could find it very difficult to deal with Whitecaps strength in the air on Sunday.

Considering Portland Timbers haven’t won an away match all season, it seems very strange that they are favourites to win here. Whitecaps admittedly haven’t been in the best of form, but Timbers have lost six on the bounce away from home and have weaknesses in all the areas that Whitecaps are strong in. Backing a Whitecaps Draw No Bet at 11/10 is an incredibly good value bet, and I’m going for that along with a 2-1 correct score prediction at 9/1.