Pandora Hughes
Seattle are in top form right now and they are a good bet to beat Montreal this week
Who do Bettors Favor?
The odds compilers at the best-rated online sportsbooks all make Seattle the strong favorites for this battle between East and West. The Sounders are the short-priced -110 favorites across the main sportsbooks, while Montreal can be wagered at up to +295. If you think the visitors can come away with a point, however, you can bet the draw at +265.
| Seattle v Montreal |  |  |  |
| Seattle | -105 | -111 | -113 |
| Draw | +270 | +265 | +269 |
| Montreal | +295 | +285 | +286 |
Seattle are Resurgent
Back in April, the Seattle Sounders were struggling at the bottom end of the Western Conference, but five wins and a draw in their last seven games means they are now heading in the right direction. In fact, at Lumen Field, they have looked like genuine MLS Cup contenders, beating Minnesota, Charlotte, Vancouver and Sporting Kansas, as well as matching LAFC.
The Seattle resurgence has lifted them to seventh in the West and back into playoff contention. In fact, they are only six points behind second-placed Real Salt Lake, with games in hand on most of their rivals.
Those early-season struggles can be explained by the demands of a Champions League campaign and a number of significant injuries. With those issues behind them, this is looking much more like the Seattle team we are used to seeing, that has never finished lower than fourth in 13 seasons in MLS.
Unpredictable Montreal
Montreal’s season has already featured a number of highs and lows. They picked up one point from their first four games of the campaign, but then went on an eight-game unbeaten run, in which they picked up 20 points, which saw them rapidly climb the Eastern Conference table.
They lost their way again in recent weeks, losing three out of four and managing a scrappy 4-3 win over Cincinnati, but returned to winning form last time out, beating Charlotte 2-1 in Quebec.
Montreal’s unpredictability is the result of an adventurous style of play that has taken them to third in the table with the Eastern Conference’s best goal-scoring and 2nd worst goal conceding records. That makes them dangerous opponents, even for a defensively solid team like Seattle.
MLS Betting Team News
For Seattle, Joao Paulo is still recovering from a right ACL tear, while Xavier Arreaga is out with a left hamstring problem, and Obed Varga has a stress factor of the lower back. Raul Ruidiaz missed the game with LAFC and the win over Kansas due to a muscle problem, though if he does make it onto the field here, it will be fascinating to see whether he can surpass Freddie Montero in the all-time list of most regular-season goals for Seattle or whether Montero will regain the lead.
For Montreal, the team news is pretty much unchanged from their game against Charlotte at the weekend. Canadian star Tomas Giraldo is a long-term absentee as he recovers from a hamstring injury, along with Bjorn Johnsen, who has been out of action since November. Djordje Mihailovic has now missed three games in a row after limping off with an ankle problem early on in a game against FC Cincinnati and it remains to be seen if he will be available here.
MLS Betting Pick
Neither of these teams produces many draws, in fact, they have just four between them from a combined total of 31 fixtures so far, and given Montreal’s style of play, I can’t see this ending level. The visitors also have a pretty good record on the road, although a trip to Lumen Field when Seattle are in form is a tougher proposition than anything they’ve faced so far.
Seattle have turned their home ground into a football fortress in recent weeks. They’ve picked up four wins and a draw in their recent home stand, and equally impressively, have conceded just three goals in those games. That resolute defense is sure to be given a thorough workout by Montreal, but Seattle are in such good form right now that they have to be the pick here.
MLS Other Markets Pick
When Montreal take to the field, you know there will be goals, and at both ends of the field. So far this season they are scoring at a rate of 1.9 goals per game while conceding 1.8. Of their 16 games so far this season, 12 have produced more than 2.5 goals. Seattle’s record is a little more sedate, but they are still scoring their fair share and the net result should be an entertaining game with plenty of goal action.
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