Preview: Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers - prediction, team news, lineups

This time it is all about three points in the Major League Soccer Western Conference where the visitors aim to get back on track straight away.

Match preview

Real Salt Lake came out on top of a seven-goal thriller when the two teams met last week in the cup with goals from Danny Musovski, Andrew Gomez, and a brace from Maikel Chang.

The result will give the team plenty of confidence heading into this match, which will be beneficial considering the fact they are sitting four points behind their opponents in the table right now.

Real Salt Lake were not able to bounce off the midweek victory last week when they returned to league football at the weekend though as were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Los Angeles FC.

That result continued a theme that Pablo Mastroeni's men have been dealing with lately as they have failed to score in their previous three league outings.

The fact they have now gone three matches without a win has left them dropping down the table which is a problem considering that another loss this weekend could see them drop to the bottom of the division.

For the visitors, this game will be all about revenge after the defeat last week as they will want to quickly put that result behind them for their own personal pride as well as the points in the league.

Portland Timbers have struggled with consistency in the early games this season with four wins, three draws, and five defeats, but they have still managed to sit sixth already.

Giovanni Savarese's men did react well to the defeat against Real Salt Lake though when they returned to MLS football by beating Vancouver Whitecaps.

A second-minute goal from Franck Boli set them off to the races in that match, and was followed up by a brace from Evander to win the game 3-1.

Portland Timbers have only managed one victory on the road so far, though, which they will need to address if they want to keep climbing up the division.

Real Salt Lake Major League Soccer form:

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Portland Timbers Major League Soccer form:

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Team News

Musovski is likely to lead the line for RSL this weekend, with his strong performances throughout the season making him a real goal threat.

However, the hosts do have a laundry list of injuries to deal with at the moment as Tomas Gomez, Jasper Loffelsend, Zack Farnsworth and Erik Holt all find themselves on the sideline right now.

Despite those issues, Real Salt Lake were able to welcome Anderson Julio and Bode Hidalgo back to the matchday squad during their last outing, boosting the depth slightly.

Following a brace in Portland Timbers most recent outing, he will be looking to provide a threat once again in this match.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch Zac McGraw shall be focusing on trying to not score another own goal, which is how he marked his return from suspension in their most recent game.

Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:

Beavers; Hidalgo, Glad, Pierre, Oviedo; Eneli, Ruiz, Chang; Gomez, Kreilach, Musovski

Portland Timbers possible starting lineup:

Ivacic; Mosquera, Mabiala, Zuparic, Bravo; D. Chara, Paredes; Moreno, Evander, Blanco; Boli

We say: Real Salt Lake 2-1 Portland Timbers

While Portland Timbers are higher in the division right now, it is the hosts who could end up taking all three points in this one by taking the experience from their recent match against their opponents.

How to watch

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