LA Galaxy vs FC Dallas Prediction, Odds, Picks

• LA Galaxy’s position on the table might be flattering them a little
• LA Galaxy are going to have the unenviable task of stopping the in-form Jesus Fereira who has scored seven goals in the league so far
• FC Dallas cannot be headed into this tie with the naiveté that they showed against Sporting Kansas City

LA Galaxy vs FC Dallas Odds

LA Galaxy vs FC Dallas Prediction

The two sides have faced each other 55 times with the LA Galaxy having a slight edge in the head-to-head record with 24 wins to FC Dallas’ 23. Eight of the games ended in a draw and there isn’t much difference in terms of the number of the goals the two teams have scored either. LA Galaxy have scored 91 goals, while FC Dallas have scored 90 in their meetings.

These games have never really been the most feisty with no red cards shown to any player in that time and only 33 yellow cards between them: LA Galaxy with 16 and FC Dallas with 17. There isn’t much to separate them in the western conference league table for now either, with the two sides tied on 19 points and taking the 3rd and 4th spots in the Western Conference standings respectively.  The two will be hoping that they can stay there after failing to make the western conference playoffs last season.

There isn’t much separating the two sides in their recent meetings either. The sides drew 2-2 in October, which was the last time they played one another. They’ve won two games against each in their last five encounters.

LA Galaxy Could Face A Home Defeat

LA Galaxy might be level on points with FC Dallas but it feels like a loss is just around the corner and this one could be it. FC Dallas just got knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup in the most bizarre manner but have done enough recently to prove that they have the firepower up front in Jesus Fereira to cause any side a problem while still being quite hard to break down. All they have to do is manage the game a bit better. LA Galaxy are on a winning run but haven’t been the most convincing .

Austin FC will feel a little hard done after succumbing to a defeat against the LA Galaxy a few days ago. They had all the possession and the shots but couldn’t find a way through goalkeeper, Jonathan Bond. And this wasn’t a case of their opponents creating an unbreakable barrier either; the openings for Austin FC were there throughout the 90 minutes.

LA Galaxy broke the deadlock in the 6th minute thanks to Marco Delgado’s shot from range but never really had any control on the game. LA Galaxy had some easy tap-ins that they should’ve scored to put the game to bed but they hardly imposed themselves in this game. Their top scorer and former Manchester United forward, Javier Hernandez, had a great chance and former Juventus and Bayern Munich winger, Douglas Costa, was mostly wasteful in the final third. There was very little cohesion in their play under Greg Vanney on the day but they’ve been picking up results recently and that’s always a good sign. They’ve won their last four games in all competitions and are undefeated in seven.

Defense Has Been Key for la Galaxy

The lack of conviction in their play is evident in the goal difference. They’ve only scored 11 goals in the league but have also only conceded seven, which is fairly impressive. Their forwards have been misfiring though; no one other than Chicharito has found the back of the net twice. The Mexican has scored five goals in the league so far.

In terms of creativity, it’s mostly coming from 26-year-old Canadian winger, Raheem Edwards, who has notched five assists so far. There’s always some excitement when he gets on the ball. LA Galaxy’s performances have been better at home than in away games and they’ll be hoping to use that in their favor for this tie.

Before facing FC Dallas, the LA Galaxy have a U.S. Open Cup match against California United Strikers but it’s unlikely to have a big knock-on effect when they face FC Dallas on Saturday.

LA Galaxy Injuries and Suspensions

Central midfielder Adam Saldanha, has been out for most of the season and will not be available for this game. Left-back Chase Gasper has been allowed to take special leave.  LA Galaxy have no suspensions to speak of, which will please manager Greg Vanney.

FC Dallas Have Been Scoring Freely Recently

Unlike the LA Galaxy, FC Dallas have had no trouble finding the back of the net. They’ve scored two goals in their last five games in all competitions. Jesus Fereira has scored seven goals so far in the league and was on target in the last league game against a depleted Seattle Sounders side.

The victory was well deserved with FC Dallas peppering the Seattle Sounders’ goal with 22 shots, six of which were on target and having 57% of the ball possession. The scoreline could’ve been far higher in what was an excellent second half display. There was energy and a zest to their performance.

FC Dallas have also benefited from a strong backline

Like the LA Galaxy, FC Dallas have also been good all season at shutting up shop. They’ve only conceded seven goals in their 10 games but will have been a bit taken aback after losing 4-2 to Sporting Kansas City in the U.S Open Cup’s round of 32.

FC Dallas had a comfortable 2-0 lead in the 34th minute and looked like they’d be making it to the next round before capitulating in the second half and extra-time. Most of the errors were self-inflicted.

The first goal was conceded after poor build up from the back, which was quite avoidable. Later in the game, Jader Obrian missed a sitter before a second yellow in added time for Jose Martinez changed the tie on its head. Sporting Kansas City punished FC Dallas’ mistakes with a goal in the 98th minute of added time and added two more in extra time. Even the added time goals were comical; one of which was an own goal while the other was once again an error while trying to play out from the back.

It was a thrilling game but a painful lesson for FC Dallas. The coaching staff and players will have gotten a great reality check and will want to make sure that something similar isn’t repeated in their game against LA Galaxy and going forward. These are the margins that will come into play later in the season. At their best, FC Dallas should still have enough to get all three points against LA Galaxy.

FC Dallas Injuries and Suspensions

FC Dallas have no injuries or suspensions to speak of. Manager, Luchi Gonzalez, will be quite pleased with that.

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