Philadelphia Union vs Los Angeles FC Prediction: Expect drama and thrills

Two very familiar opponents will be facing each other as they fight to book a place in this year’s CONCACAF Champions League final. Philadelphia Union and Los Angeles FC are both from the eastern and western conferences of major league soccer. Philadelphia Union had a slow start to the MLS campaign and they are currently in 7th place in the eastern conference hopefully not for so long. While Los Angeles FC had a much better start and they are ranked 3rd in the western conference with a game in hand. Philadelphia Union are coming into this game from a 4-2 win over Toronto 3 days ago and Los Angeles could only settle for a 1-1 draw with Nashville SC in their last match.

Philadelphia Union have been brilliant in the CONCACAF competition this year even though they have struggled to replicate that form in their domestic league. In the round of 16 stage they played against Alianza FC and the scoreline over both legs was (0-0, 4-0) and then they went on to face Atlas in the Quarterfinal and they progressed with an aggregate score (1-0, 2-2) over both legs. Philadelphia Union will be coming here with high spirits after defeating Toronto 4-2 in their last game. They were dominant in the first 45 minutes, as they were 3 goals ahead courtesy of goals from Lukas MacNaughton (own goal), Mikael Uhre (brace). And in the second half, Mikael Uhre scored his hat trick to seal the dramatic win for the home side. In that match, Philadelphia Union had 7 shots on target, 6 corner kicks and 40% possession.

Team streak: without a clean sheet (3), first to concede (5/7), less than 10.5 corners (4/5).

Los Angeles FC are not newcomers on such important stages and they are quite ready for this tie. Los Angeles FC were brilliant in the tournament up till this point and they look like the better side to progress to the final. They defeated LD Alajuelense (3-0, 2-1) in the knockout stage to progress, and in the quarter final they defeated Vancouver Whitecaps (3-0, 3-0) on both legs to advance to this stage; the semi final. Los Angeles FC are also doing very well in their domestic league where they are ranked 3rd in the eastern conference with a game in hand. They also hold a record of 8 matches unbeaten in all competitions. Their last game ended in disappointment when they played a 1-1 draw against Nashville SC. Los Angeles FC found themselves behind in the first half after Hany Mukhtar opened the scoring for Nashville in the 35th minute. Los Angeles FC finally got their goal in the 59th minute through Denis Bouanga, but they failed to grab the second and rather settled for a draw. Statistics showed that Los Angeles dominated the game, with 6 shots on target, 5 corner kicks and 45% possession.

Team streak: wins (4), no losses (7), more than 2.5 goals (5/6), first to score (5/6), less than 4.5 cards (4/5).

Philadelphia Union and Los Angeles FC have played 5 times against each other before this match. Los Angeles FC won 2 games and 3 ended in a draw.

• Los Angeles have not lost in 5 meetings.
• Both teams have not kept a clean sheet in all 5 meetings.
• There were more than 2.5 goals in 4/5 meetings.
• Both teams scored in 5/5 meetings.
• There were less than 4.5 cards in 4/5 meetings.

• Philadelphia Union (4-3-1-2): Andre Blake, Nathan Harriel, Jakob Glesnes, Jack Elliott, Kai Wagner, Alejandro Bedoya, Jose Martinez, Jack McGlynn, Daniel Gazdag, Julian Carranza, Mikael Uhre.
• Los Angeles FC (4-3-3): John McCarthy, Diego Palacios, Jesus Murillo, Denil Maldonado, Sergi Palencia, Erik Duenas, llie Snchez, Jose Cifuentes, Stipe Biuk, Denis Bouanga, Mateusz Bogusz.

I expect a very thrilling encounter between these two top teams. Encounters between them have been exciting to watch. Philadelphia Union are far from the team they were last term but there are signs of revival. Los Angeles are still top quality and their last draw was quite disappointing but they are still a top team any day. I expect both sides to play open ended football and fight for a win here and this should result in at least a goal from each side.

• Bet on More than 2 Goals at 1.62 Odds
• Bet on Both Teams to Score at 1.90 Odds
• Bet on Correct Score 1-2 at 6.9 Odds