We have a massive slate of mid-week action in the MLS on Wednesday and in Western Conference play, first-place St. Louis City SC locks horns with Real Salt Lake at CITYPARK. The kick-off is scheduled for 8:30 PM ET. This is the second meeting of the campaign between the two sides, with the hosts hammering RSL 4-0 back in March in Salt Lake City. St. Louis is coming off a defeat to Nashville and will be looking to get back in the win column, while Salt Lake just beat DC United 2-1 over the weekend. Keep reading for the St. Louis City SC vs Real Salt Lake picks.
Before we get into the odds, match preview, and picks, check out the biggest Vegas online soccer betting sites if you plan to put money down on this fixture.
St. Louis is a big favorite here with -110 odds at Bovada online sportsbook for an implied win probability of 52.38%. RSL returns at +275 and has a 26.67% chance of coming out victorious. A draw is priced at +280. As previously mentioned, the only other clash went the hosts’ way earlier in the year.
It’s been a very impressive debut season in the MLS for St. Louis. They’re currently top dog in the West with a 9-6-2 record, grabbing 29 points from 17 games. However, the club isn’t in great form at the moment. Bradley Carnell’s men haven’t won in three games, losing to FC Dallas, tying the LA Galaxy, and then on Saturday, suffering another defeat to Nashville. In fact, St. Louis has scored just twice during that span.
St. Louis went into halftime against Nashville in a 1-1 deadlock, but things unraveled. Kyle Hiebert got a second yellow in the 68th minute and Hany Mukhtar then put the hosts ahead from the spot. The German completed the hat trick only five minutes later to seal the deal for Nashville.
On a more positive note, St. Louis is absolutely phenomenal on home soil, compiling a 6-2-1 record. In other words, they almost always turn up in front of their fans. Striker Nicholas Gioacchini will be looking to keep producing the goods in the final third, having already scored seven goals in 2023. He netted against Nashville and versus Los Angeles, too. The American was a key factor in the squad’s win over RSL in March as well. If St. Louis is going to break out of this cold spell, Gioacchini needs to be at his best Wednesday.
In the midst of a three-game unbeaten run, Real Salt Lake is up to seventh in the Western Conference and would make the playoffs if the season ended today. RSL notched 2-1 victories over Austin FC and DC United while settling for a lone point against NYCFC in a scoreless stalemate.
Salt Lake was immediately at an advantage on the weekend in DC as the hosts were handed a straight red in the 26th minute. Pablo Ruiz scored an absolute banger from his own half to get things started. Danny Musovski also added a goal late in the second half about 30 minutes after DC equalized, securing the three points for RSL.
While it wasn’t the most convincing result, a victory is a victory. Salt Lake can undoubtedly try and build off that and hopefully find some more points Wednesday in St. Louis. There is no question they will be hungry to do considering just how poorly the side played against the West leaders a few months back.
They actually tend to play a bit better on the road as well, going 4-3-2 as opposed to 2-4-3 at home. In fact, RSL is unbeaten in their last five games on the road, with both of their most recent wins coming away from America First Field. Perhaps they could make it three.
There’s obviously not a lot of history to go off for this encounter other than March. However, I do think you’ll see a more competitive fixture this time around considering the way RSL is playing at the moment. With St. Louis struggling to turn up in recent weeks, I do see some value in a draw here. At +300, it’s worth a bet.
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