Real Salt Lake vs Montreal Impact Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

The top half of the Western Conference is so open that a victory for sixth placed Real Salt Lake could take them into the top three this weekend. Salt Lake’s opponents on Sunday are the Eastern Conference side Montreal Impact, who sit fifth in their respective division. The visitors can’t move any higher in the table this weekend, but need to win on Sunday to ensure they down slip out of the play-off places.

Real Salt Lake endured a mixed start to the season and their form has been fairly similar ever since, but even that has been good enough to keep them on course for a place in this years play-offs. Sunday’s hosts have only lost one of their last six matches (including a friendly against Eintracht Frankfurt) and should prove a difficult side to beat this weekend.

Last weekend Real Salt Lake did what every other team seems to do of late, beat the MLS’s most out of form side Chicago Fire. Kreilach scored once in each half, cancelling out an equaliser from World Cup winning midfielder Schweinsteiger, to help secure a 2-1 win at home. Despite that victory fans are yet to be convinced that Real Salt Lake have turned a corner following three league games without a win, as Chicago Fire are a very poor side.

Kreilach and Plata are now the joint top scorers in the league for Real Salt Lake this season with six goals, but teammates Baird, Rusnák, and Silva are all on five goals each and anyone could finish as the clubs top scorer the way this campaign is going. The same goes for the leading assist provider, with Plata, Rusnák, and Savarino on four assists each and Kreilach and Lennon on three apiece.

Montreal Impact have Argentine forward Piatti to thank for their lofty league position, as the 33-year old former Lecce man has scored 11 goals and provided 8 assists in the MLS so far this season. The Canadians are now out of the Canadian Championship after defeat to Vancouver Whitecaps over two legs and can now concentrate fully on the MLS.

The last three MLS games have failed to produce a single win for Montreal, with a defeat to high flying Atlanta United being sandwiched between score draws with Portland Timbers and DC United. Wayne Rooney’s DC United provided the opposition for Monteal Impact last weekend, where Mancosu’s fifth minute opener was eventually cancelled out by Asad’s equaliser in the seventieth minute and a draw was probably a fair result.

Both teams have a minus goal difference that they really need to address over the next month or so if they are to continue to hold onto a play-off place this season. The danger for Montreal Impact is, if Piatti gets injured who else is there to score the goals and provide the assists, but assuming the veteran stays fit then the Canadians stand a good chance of a top six finish.

We’re confident that Montreal Impact will take something from this game and have backed the visitors with a double chance bet. The Canadians have won three and drawn one of their six previous encounters against Real Salt Lake and the hosts have only won two of their last six matches. Real Salt Lake have drawn three of their last six, while Montreal have drawn two of theirs and that’s why we’re backing this game to end all square and for the final score to read 1-1.