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Monterrey and Portland Timbers lock horns at the Providence Park in Portland on Friday (August 4) in the Round of 32 of the Leagues Cup.
With two big wins in as many group games, the Striped Ones cantered into the knockouts without much hassel. Fernando Ortiz's side beat Real Salt Lake 3-0 in their opener before seeing off Seattle Sounders 4-2.
Having accrued six points from a possible six, Monterrey finished atop West 2 and will now begin their quest to reach the final. It's been a good start to the season for them, making Monterrey one of the favourites to go all the way.
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Before entering the competition, the Mexican outfit began their Liga MX campaign with a draw and two wins in three games. A disappointing 1-1 draw with San Luis on the opening day was followed by 1-0 and 3-0 defeats of Atlas and Mazatlan.
Meanwhile, Portland narrowly avoided an early exit in the cup. The Timbers beat San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 in the first game but went down 2-1 to Tigres UANL. However, with San Jose losing both their games, the Oregon came in at second with three points.
Things hadn't been going well for them in the MLS either, languishing in 12th in the Western Conference with only 26 points from 23 games.
Monterrey vs Portland Timbers Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This is the first meeting between the two teams.
- Portland have never beaten a Mexican side in three previous clashes (drawing once and losing twice).
- The visitors have won three of their last ten games across competitions but have kept five clean sheets.
- Portland star Evander is suspended from the Monterrey clash for his red card in the last game versus Tigres UANL
- Monterrey are unbeaten in five games this season, winning their last four.
Monterrey vs Portland Timbers Prediction
The two sides have been in contrasting form, with Monterrey clearly the better side, led by a menacing attacking vanguard. Portland could be set for a heavy defeat.
Prediction: Monterrey 3-1 Portland
Monterrey vs Portland Timbers Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Monterrey
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes
