After taking to the road for their last two matches, Portland Timbers return to Providence Park this Saturday for an MLS encounter with Real Salt Lake.
The hosts currently occupy ninth spot in the Western Conference, while the Claret and Cobalt are two points better off in sixth position.
Match preview
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After missing out in the final of the MLS Cup last season, Portland Timbers would have been hoping to start the 2022 campaign on the front foot.
However, they have struggled to live up to the high standards set last season, with their opening eight games of the current campaign resulting in just two victories.
Despite an underwhelming start, the Timbers can take confidence from the fact that they picked up four points from their last two games, which both took place away from home.
They came out on the right side of a five-goal thriller against Vancouver Whitecaps before playing out a goalless draw against Houston Dynamo last weekend.
The draw against Houston represented the first time that Portland have failed to score this season, but having netted two goals or more in their last four competitive meetings with Real Salt Lake, they will be confident of finding the net on Saturday.
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After beginning the season with three victories and a draw, Real Salt Lake have faltered in recent weeks, failing to win their last five matches in all competitions.
It has been a particularly poor week for the Claret and Cobalt, who were hammered 6-0 by New York City last weekend before they were dumped out of the US Open Cup in midweek by USL League One side Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC.
A 70th-minute effort from Robert Cornwall proved enough to guide Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC to a 1-0 victory, condemning Real Salt Lake to back-to-back defeats.
As his side prepares for a tricky contest at Providence Park, Pablo Mastroeni will be concerned by the fact that his side have scored just one goal before the 75th-minute mark across their five away matches.
Not only will Real Salt Lake be motivated to bounce back following a poor run of form, but they will also be determined to avenge the 2-0 defeat that they suffered against Portland Timbers in last season's Western Conference final.
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Team News
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Felipe Mora is yet to feature for Portland Timbers this season due to a knee injury, and the 28-year-old is not expected to be involved in Saturday's encounter.
Diego Gutierrez will also miss out due to a foot injury, while a hip problem will prevent George Fochive from taking part in the Real Salt Lake fixture.
Despite drawing 0-0 last weekend, the Timbers could name an unchanged lineup, which would result in Sebastian Blanco keeping his place in the side after coming into the starting lineup against Houston.
As for the visitors, they are unable to call upon Johan Kappelhof and Jonathan Menendez due to calf and groin injuries respectively.
David Ochoa returned from injury to start in midweek, and the goalkeeper could feature in the MLS for the first time this season on Saturday.
Justen Glad also featured in midweek after recovering from a hamstring issue, and the 28-year-old is set to start in the centre of defence alongside Marcelo Silva.
Portland Timbers possible starting lineup:
Ivacic; Van Rankin, Tuiloma, Mabiala, Bravo; Y. Chara, D. Chara, Paredes, Moreno; Blanco; Niezgoda
Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:
MacMath; Herrera, Silva, Glad, Schmitt; Ruiz, Caldwell; Cordova, Kreilach, Meram; Wood
We say: Portland Timbers 2-1 Real Salt Lake
Although Portland are currently two points behind their opponents, they have won their last four competitive meetings with Real Salt Lake, and as they seem to have the upper hand in recent duels, we think that the hosts will claim all three points on Saturday.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Portland Timbers win with a probability of 56.92%. A draw had a probability of 22.7% and a win for Real Salt Lake had a probability of 20.38%.
The most likely scoreline for a Portland Timbers win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.7%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.89%) and 2-0 (9.84%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.75%), while for a Real Salt Lake win it was 0-1 (5.85%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 5.8% likelihood.
