Seattle Sounders vs Los Angeles FC Prediction: Mistakes can ruin either side

Seattle Sounders welcome Los Angeles to the Lumen Field for another exciting encounter. Both clubs will be going at each other for all 3 points, as the battle for playoffs heats up in the MLS.

Seattle comes for this game off an exciting and very necessary 3-2 win at home over Minnesota United in the MLS. This result would confirm their attacking promise but lay bare their defensive weaknesses. Recent form has been mixed, with wins and losses alternating to make it a bit unpredictable. They have still shown a lot of determination in front of goal and can, many times, even outscore an opponent when their defense is not fully working.

Their style of play now at Seattle encourages speed in transition game plays from defense to offense. Most of the time, they sit back without the ball, inviting pressure that will bring opportunities with great forward burst down the wings in number. It is a tactical discipline that keeps them compact on defense and creative freedom for the attack to exploit spaces an opponent overstretched leaves open. Set-pieces are of considerable importance to Seattle; they offer another route through which they can be very direct in attack, explaining their physical presence in the box.

LAFC heads into this game on the back of a disappointing 3-1 defeat at Columbus Crew's hands in the Leagues Cup final. That defeat, however, doesn't take away from the fact that LAFC remains one of the stronger teams in the competition. The team showed reasonable form throughout the season, and either this defeat will motivate them to come out harder from it, or maybe it might be a mental letdown in disguise. Their form has been built on dominant possession and taking control of the tempo of matches, with a loss recently possibly having exposed some defensive frailties.

LAFC are probably going to look to dominate through possession of the ball and set the pace within each instance. It is a team philosophy rich in mobility and high pressure, by nature striving for ball recovery as soon as possible to ensure continuous play. They have made an absolute virtue out of overloading areas centrally, forcing opponents into uncomfortable positions, and releasing pressure with lightning-quick passing moves that bring ultimate goals. LAFC are at once the strongest and most vulnerable team in the league with a high defensive line, especially against a team like Seattle that exists on counter-attacks.

Essentially, the rivalries between Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles FC have been too intense for years. Most of the time, throughout the history of their rivalry, the two teams have always remained close—the one team having stages of domination. Seattle often plays into their tight home support and the home advantage of knowing their turf—hence being favored in most of the matches held at Lumen Field. LAFC, however, has let go of key results while on the road. More often than not, though, it is about who comes out on top during that tactical engagement between LAFC's control of the ball and Seattle's ruthlessly efficient counters.

With form at the moment and tactical tendencies, this could pan out as a closely competitive game. Seattle's home advantage, coupled with last week's win, may be enough to provide just that extra bit of psychological edge to see off LAFC's possession game. Although should LAFC keep their heads clear of this head-down syndrome that led to those defensive lapses in their last outing, they really can dominate the proceedings.

Expect a match where possessions are contested to an extremely high degree: Seattle looking for the quick strike on transitions and LAFC breaking down the possible deep block. The result might be whichever team makes the fewest mistakes in execution.

• More than 2.5 Goals at 1.78 Odds
• Both Teams to Score at 1.68 Odds
• Draw Full Time at 3.20 Odds