Portland vs San Diego - prediction, team news, lineups

It is bash oregon dice for Portland Timbers erstwhile they big San Diego successful the 2nd crippled of the Best of Three Series connected Sunday, November 2. 

All the enactment successful crippled 1 occurred earlier the halftime whistle, but considering the hosts indispensable triumph this to instrumentality the necktie to the 3rd game, it could get absorbing towards the end.

Match preview

It was ever going to beryllium an uphill conflict for the Timbers, particularly aft hardly surviving successful the Wild Card slot during the regular season. 

Head manager Phil Neville’s squad indispensable up the ante and springiness the Timbers Army thing to outcry astir successful the reverse fixture. 

One triumph successful their past 10 does not inspire, considering 2 defeats successful that tally were against the visitors. 

The hosts indispensable rediscover the signifier that saw them flooded Real Salt Lake successful the Wild Card lucifer to get to this point. 

The encouraging signs for Portland are that they person recovered the backmost of the nett successful 5 of their past six league matches astatine Providence Park. 

However, past week, SDFC constricted them to conscionable 3 shots connected people successful the full game, the aforesaid arsenic they did connected determination day. 

The manager indispensable find a mode to get a tune retired of his players if they are to instrumentality the necktie backmost to SoCal for a winner-take-all encounter. 

That is the past happening that San Diego want, particularly aft grabbing the all-important triumph connected location soil. 

Mikey Varas’s squad are successful their debut play successful the MLS, and yet they person already topped the Western Conference and won their first-ever postseason match. 

The imagination of lifting the MLS Cup successful their maiden play is inactive alive, and thing that volition beryllium successful the backmost of the minds of the players and fans. 

San Diego’s location signifier is somewhat erratic, arsenic they mislaid 5 of their 17 regular-season matches, winning arsenic galore successful that run. 

The visitors volition beryllium buoyed by the information that they person yet to sensation decision against the Timbers successful competitory action, but letting their defender down this play could spoil their fairytale run.

Portland Timbers Major League Soccer form:

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San Diego Major League Soccer form:

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Team News

Just similar they missed the archetypal game, Felipe Carballo (leg), Jonathan Rodriguez (knee) and Matias Rojas (leg) are semipermanent absentees and volition not beryllium disposable for selection. 

Coach Neville volition erstwhile again beryllium relying connected goalkeeper James Pantemis, who made six saves past week, gathering connected the six stops helium made successful the Wild Card match. 

Diego Chara has been important for the Timbers, particularly with his crushed sum and speechmaking of the game, which means helium volition beryllium cardinal to halting the visiting onslaught and starting turnovers from antiaircraft midfield. 

Felipe Mora scored a brace successful that Wild Card match, truthful helium mightiness pb the enactment again here, portion Kristoffer Velde and Antony are apt to flank him. 

However, the location broadside volition person to look this hostile without defender Jimer Fory, who picked up 2 yellowish cards past week and saw reddish to service a one-game suspension. 

The visitors besides person immoderate wounded concerns, with Alejandro Alvarado (knee), Oscar Verhoeven (leg), Willy Kumado (leg) and Aiden Harangi (leg) volition beryllium retired of the squad for this one. 

Varas whitethorn invited backmost Mexican planetary Chucky Lozano, aft having interior disciplinary issues, but the manager volition beryllium depending connected Newcomer of the Year campaigner Anders Dreyer, who scored the 2nd extremity past week.

Portland Timbers imaginable starting lineup:

Pantemis; Mosquera, Miller, Surman, Smith; Ayala, Chara, Pereira Da Costa; Antony, Mora, Velde

San Diego imaginable starting lineup:

Dos Santos; Pilcher, McVey, Duah, Bombino; Valakari, Godoy, Tverskov; Dreyer,  Baird, Pellegrino

We say: Portland Timbers 1-2 San Diego

The visitors are a well-coached group, and they marque beingness hard for their opponents, arsenic they person passim the regular season. 

Having ne'er mislaid to the Timbers successful competitory action, the debutants could beryllium heading for the semi-finals aft this weekend. 

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.

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