Two mid-table teams in the Western Conference meet in the MLS on Saturday (8pm BST; 3pm ET; TV in UK: Live on Sky Sports) and both will be desperate for the points. Seattle Sounders and Sporting Kansas City would have expected to make it through to the playoffs quite comfortably, but they have made a slow start to the MLS campaign.
Seattle sit in seventh place while Kansas are four points back in 12th. It’s set to be an entertaining 90 minutes but who will come away with the win?
A four-point gap suggests there is not much to choose between the teams, but the top bookies are coming down heavily in favour of Seattle Sounders. The best odds on the home win currently stand at 8/11 while the draw is next at a general 14/5.
Anyone wanting to get behind Sporting Kansas City will find a top price of 15/4 on the away victory. This preview has considered their respective positions in the MLS standings but what does the form guide tell us with a view to our betting tips?
The Sounders have the edge in this respect, but things are fairly even. Seattle have three wins, a draw and just a solitary defeat in their last five outings. Across the same period of time, Kansas have three wins and two losses.
SKC’s last outing resulted in a thumping 6-0 victory, but this was against weaker opposition in the shape of Union Omaha at the US Open Cup. There’s certainly hope for the underdog here but who are the men that can shape the destiny of this match?
Seattle Sounders’ leading scorer is Raul Ruidaz who has five goals in just eight games so far this season. The Peruvian striker is also the favourite to open the scoring on Saturday and he can be claimed at best odds of 19/5. His Sounders’ teammate Fredy Montero is available at 5/1 but he has only found the net once in ten matches.
Over in the Sporting Kansas City camp, Jonathan Russell leads the way with five goals in 16 games. The Scot is SKC’s first representative in the first goalscorer market at a top price of 16/5.
Away from player betting, Both Teams to Score is on offer for Saturday’s match at 3/4 in most places. The online bookmakers clearly feel that both sides will find the net as you can go above Even Money to find 11/10 for the ‘no’ option on BTTS.
Over in the Total Goals section, a stake Over the 2.5 line will see 3/4 listed as a common price once again. If we lift that one step further to Over 3.5, the odds increase to a best of 11/5. If, however, you feel that this may be a subdued afternoon with little in the way of attacking intent, the top price on Under 2.5 goals comes in at evens.
That brings us round to this Sounders vs SKC preview’s closing look at some Correct Score suggestions. If you agree with the sportsbooks and feel that this will be a comfortable 90 minutes for the home side, a 3-1 win for Seattle Sounders is on offer at a general 12/1. A 2-1 victory for Sporting Kansas City is available at 14/1, while those same odds of 14/1 can be found next to the 2-2 draw.
Our Preview’s Seattle Sounders vs SKC Betting Tips Verdict
The betting odds in those prop markets suggest that there may be some goals in Saturday’s game. Seattle Sounders have found the net 20 times in their opening 14 fixtures while conceding 17 goals at the back. Sporting Kansas City have scored a respectable 16 goals, but their issues lie in defense where they have conceded 29 times.
Based on those stats and the fact that the teams combined to score 10 times in their most recent matches, we’ll agree with the bookmakers this time. Over 3.5 goals is the first pick of the day and it carries a reasonable set of odds.
As for the result, we are tempted by the draw: There isn’t a lot to choose between these sides but SKC’s record at the back is a cause for concern. This MLS game preview will therefore finish by taking their leading scorer, Jonathan Russell, for a goal in 90 minutes.
There should be goals and it could be closer than the match winner odds suggest while these two betting tips are lined up to hopefully make it a profitable 90 minutes for this preview:
- Over 3.5 goals @ best odds of 85/40 (over 2/1) with BetVictor.
- Jonathan Russell to score at any time @ 14/5 (almost 3/1) with BetVictor.
Matt Harris is a football writer for Just Bookies. Other sports in his portfolio of specialities include golf and cricket. Matt has contributed to innumerable large organisations and media brands. These include: Betfair, BetVictor, USA Betting & Unibet. 