Home-and-home series don't happen all that often in the MLS regular season, but we're going to see an example of that this weekend. Sporting Kansas City got the best of the Portland Timbers 1-0 at Children's Mercy Park last Sunday, but now, the Timbers are going to hope to return the favor at Providence Park.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Portland Timbers -120
Sporting Kansas City +310
Draw +240
Over/Under 2.5 (under -115)
ODDS ANALYSIS
SKC was the slight favorite when these two teams met in the Show-Me State, so it shouldn't be all that surprising that the Timbers are getting the nod by a slightly bigger margin in the return leg on Sunday. The Timbers are -120 favorites and are expected to make their 7-2-3 record at home stand up in a very important match with playoff implications.
Sporting, of course, must remember what its last trip to Providence Park was like, as it was eliminated from the playoffs in an epic shootout which felt like it was going on all night long before it was finally decided by the keepers. That's why a price of +310 has to feel at least a little bit enticing, knowing that the men in blue have historically played pretty well in this series.
The total is one of the lowest of the weekend in the MLS at 2.5 and -115 vig on the under.
KEY INJURIES
All of the problems for the Timbers on the injury front are coming at the back. Zarek Valentin was taken out of last week's game with a knee problem, and he's unlikely to play in this match. He joins Liam Ridgewell and Nat Borchers as men out of the fold for this one. Darren Mattocks still has another month or so to recover from his hamstring injury.
Sporting is still playing without U.S. National regular Matt Besler thanks to an MCL sprain, and his teammate on Jurgen Klinsmann's squad, Graham Zusi isn't likely to be ready to go in this one either. Justin Mapp and Brad Davis are both out of the SKC midfield, while Paulo Nagamura is trying hard to recover from his thigh problem.
Jimmy Medranda has been suspended for this match for Sporting Kansas City thanks to yellow card accumulation.
LIVE BETTING
The Timbers showed some cracks at home for the first time in a while in their last home match when they were beaten by LA 2-1. Turning around and losing 1-0 to Sporting Kansas City last weekend put it on the wrong side of the playoff picture by a relatively comfortable margin.
Sporting has picked up a couple wins in a row and now has five straight victories at home. The bad news? This match is on the road, and Peter Vermes' team is just 2-3-6 away from Children's Mercy Park this year.
QUICK PICK
Portland has to get back to what it does best by moving the ball through the midfield and creating opportunities from there. It didn't do a good enough job of that last weekend and was shut out as a result, but we think this is going to be an opportunity to really get back to some basics and get three really notable points on the board.
This match is just too big for Portland to blow, and everyone at Providence Park knows it. The Timbers haven't looked themselves of late, as Fanendo Adi and Diego Valeri have seemingly lost their scoring touch, but one of these men should score to break the ice on Sunday and return the favor to SKC.
MLS Odds: Portland 1, Sporting Kansas City 0
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between the Portland Timbers and Sporting Kansas City will kick off on Sunday, August 7, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. ET. This fixture from Providence Park can be seen live on ESPN.
