Los Angeles FC vs Real Salt Lake Prediction & Betting Tips - Major League Soccer

Prediction published on 30/09/2023, 15:36  by Joseph King | Modified on 01/10/2023 at 12:00 in Major League Soccer Prediction

Second-place LAFC will look to consolidate their position in the Western Conference when they host fifth-place Real Salt Lake on Sunday. The defending champions Los Angeles are having a mixed season which has seen them struggle to maintain consistency for stretches. The hosts are currently sitting on 45 points which has them leading seventh-place by only three points in a congested West. LAFC also sits eight points behind conference leaders St. Louis City although have a game in hand advantage. It’s still possible that Steve Cherundolo’s men chase down St. Louis, but they’ll have to be perfect in the run-in. LAFC have four matches remaining on their regular season fixture list following back-to-back 0-0 draws in the MLS. Their most recent appearance was in the Campeones Cup, where they lost on penalties following yet another 0-0 regular time stalemate. The loss means that the champions have now managed just a single win in their last seven matches.

Real Salt Lake find themselves in a similar spot to their opponents today. Despite sitting in fifth-place, they remain only two points above eighth-place which would see them fall into the play-in game. Naturally, RSL will want to avoid this new step added by Major League Soccer and progress automatically into the postseason with a top seven finish. They will face a stern challenge here, however, as the visitors overall form has not been good. Manager Pablo Mastroeni saw his side pull off a 2-1 home win over Vancouver in Real’s last outing. However, it was only their second victory since the beginning of August. Dating back to the end of the Leagues Cup, Real Salt Lake has suffered seven losses in their last nine competitive fixtures. During this stretch, RSL have conceded 18 goals and have managed to keep just one clean sheet.