The Columbus Crew (9 wins, 7 losses, 14 draws) welcome the Portland Timbers (11-8-12) to Lower.com Field Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET. Below, we preview Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Columbus Crew vs. Portland Timbers odds, and make our best MLS bets, picks and predictions.
The Crew entered the weekend in 7th place in the Eastern Conference, so they need a win to further improve their playoff position. Columbus has the New York Red Bulls, Charlotte FC and Orlando City SC still left on their schedule.
The Crew are led by M Lucas Zelarayán, who has 9 goals and 6 assists. He is the main force behind the team’s pace. A huge addition for the Crew has been F Cucho, who has 9 goals but in just 11 starts.
Portland is in a similar playoff situation as it entered the weekend. It will want to leave Ohio with 3 points to keep its postseason dreams alive. The Timbers have just LAFC and Real Salt Lake remaining.
They’re led by F Jarosław Niezgoda with 9 goals. Truly, this offense is a full team effort as 5 players have at least 6 goals. They’ve allowed 1.52 goals per game as well.
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Columbus Crew vs. Portland Timbers odds
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:15 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Columbus Crew -127 (bet $127 to win $100) | Portland Timbers +330 (bet $100 to win $330) | Draw +295
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -160 | U: +125)
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Prediction
Columbus Crew 2, Portland Timbers 2
Money line (ML)
LEAN DRAW (+295).
The Crew have won 6 home games and not won 9, so the value on them to win at -127 really isn’t there, especially considering the Timbers have won 4 in a row.
Similarly, the Crew have the most draws in the MLS, so they’ve played at their opponents’ level, not above or below, often this season. Portland is 3-6-6 on the road this season, so it is familiar with away draws.
The Timbers had a streak earlier in the season with 3 straight draws and 5 draws in 7 matches. The Crew are on a stretch of games right now in which they’ve drawn 5 of their last 7. They’ve also drawn 3 of their last 4 at home.
I would just play a small unit on this as it does have a lofty odds, but it’s the only way to find any value on the money line.
Over/Under (O/U)
LEAN OVER 2.5 (-160).
The value isn’t necessarily here, but the logic is. It’s a price I’d be willing to pay as well.
Portland has gone over this total in 5 of its last 6 matches. Columbus has gone over this in its last 2 home games and in 4 of its last 6 matches. With Cucho, the Crew have been a far more attack-focused side.
Columbus has scored multiple goals in 3 of its last 6 and only has 2 games without a goal since July 3. Similarly, Portland has scored in 8 of its last 9 and scored 2 or more in 3 of its last 4.
To further the point, the Timbers have just 1 clean sheet since July 9. They’ve allowed one or more expected goals in all but five gamest this season as well. I’d play it at these odds but only for a part of a unit.
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