Real Salt Lake vs San Jose Earthquakes Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - MLS
Real Salt Lake travel to PayPal Park on Saturday on three straight wins, facing a San Jose Earthquakes side that has drawn four of its last five matches and will be without Timo Werner. Salt Lake sit ninth in the Western Conference and San Jose fifth, and both clubs played in midweek, so legs and nerve will matter as much as the table.
The Matchup
Real Salt Lake arrive at PayPal Park on Saturday as the form side in this Western Conference playoff race. Salt Lake are ninth in the West at 12-6-14 and have won three matches in a row, beating Sporting Kansas City 3-1, St. Louis CITY SC 3-0 and Austin FC 2-1 in midweek. San Jose are fifth in the West at 13-10-9, but the Earthquakes have not won in five matches, drawing four of them, and both clubs played in midweek before this final home match of the regular season for San Jose.
Neither club has named its side yet. The expectation is Sergi Solans leading Salt Lake's line again after starting at Austin, with Saba Lobjanidze and Dominik Marczuk around him. Morgan Guilavogui is suspended after his yellow card at Austin, and Diego Luna is out after knee surgery. For San Jose, the expectation is Preston Judd leading the line again after starting against Colorado, with Ousseni Bouda around him. Timo Werner is suspended after his red card in the Colorado match.
Key Factors
Solans is Salt Lake's finisher. He scored twice in the 3-0 win over St. Louis last weekend and set up a goal at Austin in midweek, and Lobjanidze scored at Austin in the same game. San Jose's problem is finishing games off. The Earthquakes have drawn 10 matches this season and four of their last five, they gave up a lead against Colorado in midweek, and they now lose Werner, who set up their opening goal in that game, to suspension.
The counterpoint is Salt Lake's road record, and it is a real one. Salt Lake have won only 3 of their 16 away matches and conceded 28 away goals, and San Jose have lost only five of their 16 home matches, so a home side this hard to beat can absolutely win this game, especially with Salt Lake also missing Guilavogui, who scored at Austin. That is why the draw protection matters here rather than the straight away win.
Salt Lake are the side playing with momentum and belief, Solans is finishing his chances, and San Jose keep letting winning positions turn into draws in front of their own crowd. Losing Werner dulls the home side's edge in the final third, and Salt Lake's poor road record is exactly why the stake comes back on a draw rather than asking them to win outright. Take Real Salt Lake draw no bet at +107.
Game Information
| DATE | Saturday (10/31) |
|---|---|
| START TIME | 4:00 PM CT |
| HOW TO WATCH | Apple TV |
| VENUE | PayPal Park, San Jose |
| COMPETITION | MLS |
| ROUND | MLS Regular Season |
| SPREAD | San Jose Earthquakes -0.25 (+105) |
| TOTAL | 3.25 (Over -103) |
| MONEYLINE | San Jose Earthquakes +132 / Draw +292 / Real Salt Lake +173 |
| DRAW NO BET | San Jose Earthquakes -134 / Real Salt Lake +107 |
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