LAFC the Pick in El Traffico

LA Galaxy have twice beaten LAFC this season, but the home team look like the best pick here.

Who do Bettors Favor?

You can check out the best online sportsbook reviews here, but according to the sportsbooks, LAFC are looking good in this game. They are clear favorites at -125, while if you think LA Galaxy can win for a third time against their local rivals, this season, you can wager on them +280, with the draw priced at +300.

LAFC v LA Galaxy		MyBookie
LAFC	-125	-125
Draw	+300	+300
LA Galaxy	+280	+280

LAFC Leading the Way in the West

With 36 points from 18 games, LAFC is leading the way in the MLS overall as well as topping the Western Conference, although Austin FC is only two points behind LAFC in the standings.

Steve Cherundolo's side, who are tied for the league lead in goals scored, hasn't been faultless this year, but they have consistently found a way to prevail, especially at home. So far this season, they have only suffered one loss at Banc of California Stadium, to Austin, their closest current rivals. Otherwise, they have a home record of seven victories, two draws, and a 22-8 goals record.

However, there is no room for complacency in MLS, and their weekend 1-0 loss in Vancouver served as a stark warning that they cannot take anything for granted for the remainder of the regular season.

Galaxy Hard to Predict

Los Angeles Galaxy had a successful start to the regular season, winning their first two matches, including a victory over the defending MLS Cup champions NYCFC. But fans have since been frustrated by the inability to this hard-to-predict team to show any consistent form.

After allowing one or zero goals in nine of their first ten games, it appeared as though coach Greg Vanney had discovered the key to sealing up a porous defence. That, however, turned out to be a mirage as they proceeded to concede 12 goals in their following six MLS matches, a stretch of poor play that also resulted in their shocking elimination from the US Open Cup at the hands of Sacramento Republic.

The team's confidence will have benefited from the 4-0 home victory over Montreal last Saturday but building on that recovery against much tougher competition presents a challenge.

MLS Betting Team News

For this match, both clubs will be without a few important players. Defender Julian Gaines is likely to be absent from the LAFC line-up as he is still recovering from a pelvis injury. The most serious team news for the home team relates to their forward line. Before the weekend trip to Vancouver, forwards Carlos Vela, Brian Rodriguez, and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi were all listed as "questionable." Since none of the trio even made the bench, it is unclear if they will be available for this crucial game. On the plus side, Jose Cifuentes will be available after missing the Vancouver match through suspension.

Jorge Villafan, who is battling a left knee strain, is still out for the Galaxy, while Chase Gasper will probably miss the game because of a thigh issue. The good news for Vanney is that Kevin Cabral and Douglas Costa, who were forced to sit out the Montreal game after receiving red cards in the defeat to Minnesota, will again be available for selection.

LAFC Look the Safe Pick

Going into the third El Traffico of the season, LA Galaxy has some reason for hope given the weakness of the LAFC offense and the evidence of the last two matches between these teams. There is no question that the Galaxy have the ability to score goals, and the fact that eleven different players on their squad have already registered MLS assists highlights their combined creativity.

Still, there are obvious problems for Galaxy bettors. They have given up the first goal in five of their previous seven games, which underlines their propensity for sluggish starts to games. With 11 of their past 13 goals coming in the final 30 minutes of games, they have also clearly had trouble breaking down opponents early in the game: a combination that could spell trouble in this game.

The H2H numbers for this rivalry show that Galaxy has a 7-3 advantage, but this does not necessarily reflect the relative strengths of the two clubs. In two of the previous three seasons, LAFC outperformed their city rivals in the MLS Western Conference. As always, it is risky to draw conclusions about soccer results from a tiny sample, and this H2H record is an illustration of the kind of overly-simplistic statistic that might mislead gamblers. LAFC is the superior team, and they are at home, so they look like a safe pick to win this and gain some local revenge.

LAFC LAFC v LA Galaxy

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