Two of the top four sides in the West do battle on Saturday as LAFC take on their neighbours LA Galaxy (3am BST). The Los Angeles Derby is based on an intense rivalry and we should be in for a dramatic 90 minutes of MLS action.
In betting terms, LAFC are at the very top of the Western Conference while Galaxy are nine points further back with a game in hand. Could home advantage tip it in favour of the table toppers or will the outsiders offer some value in the match result market?
There isn’t too much to split these teams in terms of the league table, but the bookies are coming down heavily in favor of LAFC. The home side are available at a general 4/5 for the win while victory for LA Galaxy is out at a general 3/1. Completing the market is the draw which is available this time at best industry odds of 16/5.
This LAFC vs LA Galaxy preview has seen how the overall standings look but what about the form guide? Galaxy’s recent results are very mixed with two wins, two defeats and a draw from their last five matches. Their last outing resulted in a comfortable, 4-0 victory over Montreal.
Los Angeles FC are certainly performing better with three wins, one draw and one loss in their last five. However, their most recent match ended in a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Vancouver Whitecaps last time out. It’s fairly even in terms of form and Galaxy will have hopes of returning with a draw at the very least.
LA Galaxy’s Mexican international striker Javier Hernandez has carried over his prolific goalscoring form from last season. Hernandez is his side’s leading scorer with seven goals from his first 17 games of the campaign.
Over in the LAFC camp, two players lead the way with six goals each. Carlos Vela and Cristian Arango are the top scorers at this stage of the season. Those stats are reflected in the first goalscorer betting where Vela and Arango will start among the favourites. Odds for the first goal are slow to come in but, in the anytime market, both men are listed at around 5/4 or a bit higher. Javier Hernandez carries the lowest odds among Galaxy players at 2/1.
Another man to watch could be Gareth Bale who is expected to make his debut for LAFC after signing from Real Madrid. You may want to check the teamsheets before staking on the Welsh international, but Bale is available at 17/10 for a goal in 90 minutes.
In other prop bets, Both Teams to Score is on offer for Saturday’s game at 8/15. That’s one of the shortest prices we’ve seen for this market in recent weeks but, if you want to take the ‘No’ option on BTTS, this climbs to best odds of 7/4. In the Total Goals betting, a stake Over the 2.5 line is on offer at a top price of 8/15. If we push that up one notch, Over 3.5 is quoted at a general 6/5. Those who think Saturday’s game will be a low scorer can get best odds of 8/5 to go Under the 2.5 line.
If we were to get involved in the Correct Score markets our preference would be for a high scoring draw. A 2-2 final outcome may be the way to go and this is available at best odds of 12/1. Alternatively, if you’re behind the bookmakers and expecting a win for LAFC, a 3-1 scoreline in favour of the home side is listed at 11/1 in most places. If you think that Galaxy could sneak this, you can take a 2-1 away win at those same odds of 11/1.
Our Preview’s LAFC v LA Galaxy Betting Tips Verdict
LAFC are the team to watch right now and the addition of Gareth Bale to the roster will boost their chances of finishing at the top of the Western Conference. Bale is world class and will turn games on his own, but he may not be quite ready to make an impact in this match.
The winger has been used sparingly by his domestic teams in the last two years and injury concerns are never too far away. If he does feature on Saturday, it will more likely be as an impact sub.
The rest of the players may cancel each other out and, with regards betting tips, this preview is keen on backing the draw. The teams are close in the standings and neither are dominating in terms of recent form.
There should be plenty of goals: LAFC have found the net nine times in their last five games while Galaxy have scored 12 in the same period of time. Over 3.5 goals is the second betting tip. It should be an entertaining 90 minutes with plenty of attacking intent and we can take a nice profit from the game if the teams follow that script. These are the MLS game selections:
Matt Harris is a football & golf writer for Just Bookies. Other sports in his portfolio of specialities include cricket. Matt has contributed to innumerable large organisations and media brands. These include: Betfair, BetVictor, USA Betting & Unibet. 