Houston Dynamo will square off against Western Conference rivals Portland Timbers at the PNC Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts are enjoying a four-game unbeaten run at the moment and secured an impressive 4-3 win against San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday. With three wins in six games, they are just two points behind MLS Western Conference leaders Los Angeles FC.
The Portland Timbers, meanwhile, have endured a slow start to their 2022 regular season. The reigning Western Conference winners secured just their second win of the campaign after overcoming Vancouver Whitecaps 3-2 on Saturday.
The Timbers are undefeated against Houston since 2018 and will hope for a positive outcome here.
Houston Dynamo vs Portland Timbers Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- There have been 22 meetings between the two teams in the MLS so far, with 11 home games for either team. Portland lead 9-6 in wins, while seven games have ended in draws.
- Portland have just one win on their trip to Houston, with that victory coming in September last year.
- The Timbers have won only three of their 29 MLS games in Texas (D11 L15), while four of the six wins for Houston in this fixture have come at home.
- Portland have made more interceptions than any other team in the competition (104), while Houston have 61.
- Only Montreal (8) have scored more goals from open play this season than Houston (7), with 70% of the latter's goals coming from open play but none of them from counter-attacks.
Houston Dynamo vs Portland Timbers Prediction
Houston have gone undefeated in their last four outings, scoring ten goals and conceding six. They have not secured a win against their northern rivals since 2018 but will feel confident about a positive outcome this time.
The visitors have conceded ten goals in their last four games, while scoring six times, picking up just one win. While current form favours Houston, history is on Portland's side, so the game could end in a high-scoring draw.
Prediction: Houston Dynamo 2-2 Portland Timbers.
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Houston Dynamo vs Portland Timbers Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw.
Tip 2: Both teams to score - Yes.
Tip 3: Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 goals (Portland have scored at least two goals in their last five games against Houston; seven of the last nine games in this fixture have produced over 2.5 goals).
Tip 4: Yellow cards - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 Yellow cards (Both teams have accrued 20 yellow cards in the league so far).
Tip 5: Both teams to score in the second half - Yes (70% of Houston's goals and 80% of Portland's have come in the second half).