Inter Miami are still at the top of the Eastern Conference after going undefeated in six Major League Soccer games in a row since suffering a brutal 4-0 loss to the NY Red Bulls in March, and they will look to extend their run when they visit CF Montreal at the Saputo Stadium on Saturday.
The Herons have 24 points after the first 12 matchdays to lead the pack, but they cannot let their guard down since teams like FC Cincinnati and Toronto are lurking.
Speaking of FC Cincinnati, they have a date against the defending champions, the Columbus Crew, also on Saturday, while Real Salt Lake are in for a tough matchup against one of their Western Conference rivals, the LA Galaxy.
These are some of the biggest matches to look forward to this week, and SBOTOP is here for the preview of these important games.
CF Montreal vs Inter Miami
A healthy Lionel Messi is bad news for the rest of the league, and CF Montreal will be understandably nervous because the GOAT is in fine form.
Inter Miami avenged their early defeat against the NY Red Bulls by beating them 6-2 on Sunday, as Messi broke a couple of Major League Soccer records in the process.
Lionel Messi became the first player to make five assists in a single game, and he also became the first player to have six goal involvements after scoring a goal five minutes after halftime.
Messi was not the only one who took the spotlight, as Matias Rojas had a brace and Luis Suarez recorded a hat-trick.
The Major League Soccer 2024 odds have CF Montreal as the underdogs because head coach Laurent Courtois will not have a full squad to choose from on Saturday, with Matias Coccaro, Josef Martinez, Kwadwo Opoku, and Dominic Yankov nursing injuries.
CF Montreal are winless in their last three Major League Soccer games, with their most recent outing being a 4-1 loss to Nashville. Le CFM are currently 11th in the Eastern Conference standings with 12 points, so they need this win to stay alive in the playoff hunt.
Betting Tip – Inter Miami Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 2.16
Columbus Crew vs FC Cincinnati
If FC Cincinnati will catch up with Inter Miami, it’ll likely be on the back of another spectacular performance from Luciano Acosta, who is more than capable of creating new Major League Soccer 2024 highlights.
The reigning league MVP did exactly that last week when he recorded the fastest goal in FC Cincinnati history, finding the back of the net in the first 17 seconds of the match, which was enough to put Orlando City away in the 1-0 victory.
The Orange and Blue have now won three consecutive games. Acosta now has five goals and six assists in 11 games, and he’s expected to lead the line against the defending champions this weekend.
Bret Halsey is the only player that’s unavailable for FC Cincinnati on Saturday, as he picked up two yellow cards against Orlando City, which is not exactly a huge loss for head coach Pat Noonan.
The Columbus Crew, meanwhile, have had an eventful week because they’re through to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final. However, they haven’t won any of their last six Major League Soccer games (D5, L1).
While FC Cincinnati have Luciano Acosta, the Columbus Crew have Cucho Hernandez, who will provide the necessary firepower.
Betting Tip – Columbus Crew Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 2.14
LA Galaxy vs Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake will aim to return to winning ways after they were eliminated in the Round of 32 in the US Open Cup by New Mexico United with a score of 4-2 yesterday.
Early MVP candidate Cristian Arango didn’t start against New Mexico United, so he should reclaim his starting spot when they visit the Dignity Health Sports Park. The Colombian forward is on top of the LA Galaxy’s scouting report since he leads the league in goals (9) and assists (8) so far this season.
Real Salt Lake are on top of the Western Conference, but that may not be the case for long if they lose to the LA Galaxy.
LA Galaxy are winless in their last two games, and they’re hoping that Dejan Joveljic, their top scorer with six league goals, will return after missing the last two games due to a thigh injury.
If he’s still unavailable, head coach Greg Vanney will continue to deploy their front three of Gabriel Pec, Miguel Berry, and Joseph Paintsil.
Betting Tip – LA Galaxy Asian Handicap -0.25 @ 1.80
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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