Published Mar 4, 4:24am ET by
Alex Dudley - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Mar 4, 4:24am ET
Credit: Shutterstock
Updated Mar 4, 4:24am ET
Interesting action in the MLS is set for March 7, as the in-form Real Salt Lake travel to Atlanta United. Find the odds and our picks here.
A miserable start to the campaign has seen Atlanta lose back-to-back games, while Real Salt Lake will be looking for successive victories on Saturday.
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|
|---|---|
| Atlanta | +116 |
| The Draw | +258 |
| Real Salt Lake | +225 |
Hopes for the new season were high when Tata Martino was re-appointed as Atlanta boss during the off-season, with fans dreaming of the team re-emerging as a leading MLS Cup hope.
However, the early signs this term aren’t promising. United have suffered back-to-back losses to start the season, most recently losing 2-0 on the road against San Jose. Most concerning would be their lack of offensive threat, failing to score in the opening two rounds and registering a low xG average of 0.36.
It is worth noting that this weekend marks a first home game of the season, and a spark is needed to ignite their campaign.
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Contrastingly, Pablo Mastroeni will take huge positives from Real Salt Lake’s start to the season, with their high-quality performances against solid MLS yardsticks likely to go under the radar.
Salt Lake were competitive against last season’s MLS Cup runners-up, Vancouver, on opening night, before they upset the odds to beat the Seattle Sounders last time out. Ariath Piol was a handful for opposing defenders in that clash, with his physicality ensuring that he was hard to track for Seattle.
Real Salt Lake have also excelled in terms of chance creation, reflected by their xG of 1.30 per game.
| TOTAL | Atlanta | Real Salt Lake | DRAWS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Goals | 19 | 10 | 9 |
I haven’t been impressed by Atlanta’s start to the season, as they have looked defensively vulnerable and offensively weak. In contrast, I have enjoyed Real Salt Lake’s progression, and their well-rounded team look good value to register back-to-back wins on Saturday.
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Pick
Real Salt Lake
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