Real Salt Lake travel to the west coast to take on Western Conferences rivals LAFC in the round of 16 in the 2023 Leagues Cup at BMO Stadium.
The Black and Gold made quite the first impression in their debut game in the tournament, making light work of Juarez in the round of 32. The 2022 MLS Cup champions had a group stage bye as a result of conquering their respective league last season.
Real Salt Lake came storming out of the gates with a 3-0 triumph over Seattle Sounders in the West Group 2, but fell 3-0 in their final group stage game. However, since Seattle failed to win any of their group stage games, Monterrey finished in first place with six points, and RSL finished in second with three points, qualifying for the knockout stage.
Salt Lake cruised to a 3-1 victory over Club Leon behind a brace from Danny Musovski and a lone goal from Cristian ‘Chicho’ Arango. In the 14 meetings between the two sides, LAFC has dominated, winning a staggering 12 games to RSL’s measly two victories.
LAFC vs Real Salt Lake H2H record ( Last Three Games )
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Don’t worry @KellynAcosta, @rmhollingshead will always have your back. 😉 pic.twitter.com/mh0EluPYHn
— LAFC (@LAFC) August 4, 2023
LAFC have a few names on the injury table, with center-back Jesus Murillo still sidelined with a leg injury. The 29-year-old is expected to return to action later this month.
Goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau is still on the road to recovery after suffering a leg fracture in November 2022 in the MLS Cup final. He’s on schedule to return later on in August.
Sergio Palencia remains out with a muscle injury, and the right-back, like Murillo and Crepeau, is expected to be back in the mix later on this month.
LAFC predicted lineup vs Real Salt Lake ( 4-3-3 ): McCarthy; Hollingshead, Chiellini, Long, Palacios; Bogusz, Acosta, Sanchez; Biuk, Vela, Bouanga.
LAFC will be favorites in this one, especially on the back of their impressive performance against Juarez. But Real Salt Lake are not to be taken lightly, as they’ve climbed to third in the Western Conference with 37 points and stood out so far in the Leagues Cup.
The Black and Gold will do everything possible to put on a show in front of their supporters at BMO Stadium, and should have enough up front to ensure a comfortable victory despite RSL’s quality. The front three of Bouanga, Vela, and Biuk should be enough to see off their Western Conference foes.
Prediction: LAFC 3-1 Real Salt Lake
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