Minnesota V LA Galaxy Betting Tips: Over 2.5 Goals/BTTS – 21 October 2019

Goals rarely in short supply whenever LA Galaxy are around?

Minnesota United V Los Angeles Galaxy

Monday 21 October 2019 – 01:30 Kick-Off
USA Major League Soccer
Pick: Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score (Total Goals/Both Teams to Score market)
Odds: 8/11
Bookmaker: Bet365

1 X 2
19/20 11/4 49/20

* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of 18 October 2019 at 13:20)

Preview: The MLS Play-Offs get underway this weekend and the final encounter sends LA Galaxy, who are well-versed when it comes to the post-season, to a Minnesota United side who will be sampling the play-offs for the first time in the club’s short history. It should be a lively encounter (most contests involving Zlatan Ibrahimovic often are), played out inside Allianz Field in Minnesota.

Major League Soccer Betting – 22Bet

 

Minnesota United Preview – Home comforts a significant advantage?

Making their maiden MLS Play-Off appearance, after a fourth-place finish in the Western Conference (W15 D8 L11) when finishing one spot above their opponents, LA Galaxy, are a Minnesota United team who will be buoyed by having home advantage. Just five teams registered more points from their home matches during the regular season (Minnesota home record: W10 D6 L1, GF29 GA13), while nobody conceded fewer goals on their own patch than Adrian Heath’s men.

The coach is unlikely to admit this but he must be feeling supremely confident about his troops capitalising on home advantage here, not least because their record at their Allianz Field has been formidable – not only did they go the entire regular season losing only once at home, but they approach the post-season unbeaten there in the last ten (W7 D3). Meanwhile, not since a 0-0 draw against Vancouver, on 28 July, have they failed to score on home soil.

Minnesota should be well prepared to deal with any adversity thrown their way as well, conceding the opening goal in each of their previous four home games only to power back and earn a couple of victories over Sporting Kansas (2-1) and Real Salt Lake (3-1), along with draws with Orlando (1-1) and the best performing team in either conference, Los Angeles FC (1-1). This resilience may well be called upon at some point, too, with Minnesota still to record a win in MLS over their upcoming opponents (D2 L4 versus the Galaxy).

 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic First Goalscorer?
10/3

Bet365

 

LA Galaxy Preview – Poor away form to hold Zlatan & Co. back?

The Galaxy did enough – just about – to qualify for their 19th post-season, and all this experience and nous of this stage in proceedings could count for a lot up against their relative rookie Minnesota rivals. Coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto will certainly be hoping the latter is true, because otherwise his LA Galaxy outfit could be in a world of bother judging by their erratic performance during the regular season.

LA Galaxy would conclude the regular part of the competition down in fifth position in the Western Conference (W16 D3 L15), only one place and a couple points behind Minnesota. So there certainly wasn’t a great deal to separate these two franchises in the standings. However, what does contrast between the two – and somewhat sharply – was their results garnered at home and away respectively, with LA seriously suspect when it boils down to this.

In seventeen away encounters, The Galaxy would register just five wins (LA Galaxy away record: W5 D2 L10, GF22 GA34) – and the majority of them were recorded in the first half of the season. Only one solitary victory in their previous nine away match-ups (W1 D1 L7) is hopeless form to be taking into the post-season, seeing the season out with a 4-2 loss at a Houston side who failed to even make the cut for the play-offs. Then again, they do boast the goalscoring exploits of Zlatan Ibrahimovic!

 

Minnesota United V LA Galaxy Key Facts:

  • Minnesota finished the regular season in fourth in the Western Conference (W15 D8 L11), losing once at home all season (W10 D6 L1).
  • LA Galaxy finished the regular season fifth in the same conference (W16 D3 L15), winning on five occasions on their travels (W5 D2 L10).
  • In six previous MLS meetings, Minnesota (D2 L4) are still to inflict a loss on their opponents, drawing 0-0 at home earlier in the campaign.

 

Betting Summary

In truth, these teams are polar opposites. Minnesota are adept at home, where they picked up a lot of their regular season points, conceded well below a goal per game (0.76) and have not lost since the beginning of January (W7 D3 ever since). LA Galaxy, meanwhile, have a mediocre record on their travels (W5 D2 L10), winning only once on the road in their last nine attempts (W1 D1 L7). But they do posses one of the league’s most lethal finishers in 30-goal Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who tends to thrive in these high-pressure environments.

These teams contested a goalless draw the last time they encountered one another in Minnesota, which was very early into the season in April. I highly doubt it will be another dour stalemate similar to that. Each of Minnesota’s previous four at home featured both teams scoring, while games involving LA Galaxy averaged above three goals per game with each of the last seven away all producing goals for both sides. Minnesota & Both Teams to Score looks interesting at 9/4 with Betfair.