Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers Odds: Timbers Hope to Change Form

• Seattle Sounders will be strong favorites to seal a win over long-term rivals Portland Timbers at their home ground
• Portland Timbers have had a dismal season in the MLS this year, sitting just two places off the bottom at 12th in the table
• The last time these two teams played each other at Providence Park, the game ended in a goalless draw

Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers Odds

Odds taken from BetMGM.

Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers Pick

• Our Pick: Seattle Sounders to win

Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers Predictions

The Seattle Sounders are the heavy favorites as they host Portland Timbers on Saturday. The match will take place at Seattle Sounders’s home ground, Lumen Field. Both teams have won only one of their last five competitive matches.

Seattle Sounders are enjoying a better season than Portland Timbers but struggled to get back to winning ways after a disappointing exit from the 2023 Leagues Cup. The club faced back-to-back defeats in the group stage against Real Salt Lake and Liga MX side CF Monterrey and were eliminated before the knockout rounds. 

They resumed the MLS with a loss at home against Atlanta United. The defeat was followed by a 1-1 draw against Minnesota United. The Sounders finally registered their first victory after the MLS break against Austin FC, picking up all three points for the first time in five matches. 

Portland Timbers are having a dismal season, as the three-time MLS champions are third from bottom in the Western Conference. They have also won only once in the last five games across all competitions. Portland Timbers’ only victory in these games came in the previous fixture that ended the losing run. The side beat Real Salt Lake 2-1 at home.

Previous Meetings

The two teams have faced off 44 times so far. Portland Timbers dominate the head-to-head record against bitter rivals Seattle Sounders with 20 victories and 16 losses, the other eight games ending in a draw in this fiercely contested derby.

Portland Timbers have won four of the past five meetings between these two teams, with the most recent one in July ending in a draw. Going by the statistics, Portland should have been the favorites for this tie. However, given their poor form, the odds are stacked against the Timbers to record a victory on Saturday.

The Seattle Sounders have beaten Portland Timbers just once at home in their last ten meetings at Lumen Field. However, the Sounders are enjoying a good season in the MLS. Therefore they will be the favorites to register their first home win against the Timbers since June 2017. 

Seattle Sounders Will be Relieved to be Back on Track

Seattle Sounders got back to winning ways after a disappointing few matches with a late winner from Albert Rusnak against Atlanta United. They registered their first win in five matches on Wednesday night.

Jordan Morris had fired them ahead in the first half, but Atlanta’s Sebastian Driussi leveled the match in the 73rd minute. An injury-time winner in the final minute from Rusnak sealed all three points for the Sounders. They are placed third in the Western Conference table with 40 points, level with second-placed Los Angeles FC.

The Sounders have won 11 of their 27 games, drawing seven and losing nine so far. The four-time MLS winners will be looking for their fifth title this year, as they are placed comfortably to qualify for the playoffs.

Top Scorer Expected to Play a Pivotal Role

Right winger Jordan Morris is Seattle Sounders’ top scorer this season, having found the back of the net ten times so far. He got back to goalscoring ways on Wednesday against Atlanta United as he fired his team to the lead in the first half.  

Coach Brian Schmetzer will be confident his top attacker can find the back of the net again on Saturday, to return to winning ways against long-term rivals Portland Timbers. Rusnak has also regained lost form, scoring the winner on Wednesday, and will be a great threat from the bench.

Sounders Itching to Claim Bragging Rights

The last time Seattle Sounders beat their arch-rivals Portland Timbers was in 2017 at Lumen Field. The two sides are bitter rivals, with their rivalry being the only real derby in the MLS. Schmetzer’s men will be hoping to turn the tide in their favor in the rivalry after a long wait to register a victory over the Timbers.

In their last five matches against the Portland Timbers, Seattle have lost four, and drawn one. The squad will be keen to register a win and keep their third place intact in the table. A loss will also mean the Sounders can fall to fourth, as Houston Dynamo FC are just two points behind them with a game in hand.

Portland Timbers Hope to Change Form

The Portland Timbers have won only one game out of their last five. They’ve had a poor season in the MLS this year, placed 12th with only 29 points from 26 games. They have recorded just seven wins against eight draws and 11 losses so far in the season. The three-time winners are unlikely to qualify for the playoffs this year.

They had a poor run in the 2023 Leagues Cup as well, winning only one match, against San Jose Earthquakes. The victory was followed by back-to-back losses to Mexican clubs Tigres UANL and CF Monterrey, which saw them exit the competition in the first knockout round. 

Goalscoring Concerns Piling Up for the Timbers

Portland Timbers have failed to score a single goal in their last two away matches. Their top scorer, Frank Boli, has only netted six times this season. Defensively, the team has not performed well, having failed to keep a clean sheet in their past five encounters. 

They are ranked 22nd in goals scored per match in the MLS this season, averaging only 1.2 goals per match. Evander Ferreira might be their only hope against the Sounders on Saturday, as he scored six goals and provided three assists so far this season.

The Seattle Sounders’ have been unable to keep a clean sheet in their last eight matches, which will be another boost for the Timbers. However, they will have to be clinical in the final third to exploit the shaky Sounders’ defense.

Portland Timbers Aiming to Go Against All Odds

Portland Timbers have dominated the head-to-head against the Seattle Sounders in the past five meetings, with four wins and a draw. Miles Joseph’s men will bank on that record, aiming to defy all the odds to register a victory against their long-term rivals on Saturday.

Despite the two teams having won just one of past five matches, the odds are firmly stacked against the Timbers, given how their season has panned out. The three-time MLS champions will aim to defy odds and create a miracle once again at Lumen Field, where they haven’t lost since 2017.

How to Watch Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers

• Teams: Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers
• Location: Lumen Field
• Time: Saturday, September 02 at 10:30 pm ET
• How to Watch: FS1, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, Fubo and Sling TV