Montreal Impact vs. Portland Timbers: Preview and How to Watch
By Scott Behler
The fourth-placed Portland Timbers hope to restart their attack at the Stade Saputo as they take on the bottom dwelling Montreal Impact.
The Portland Timbers returned home last week to take on Atlanta United after a difficult stretch of games but failed to secure more than a point at Providence Park. Much to the chagrin of the Montreal Impact, The Timbers expect Darlington Nagbe to return to the lineup.
Currently, the Impact have only managed 10 points from 10 games and will hope to stop the rot at home. If they can win all three points, then they can jump from 11th to 9th in the Eastern Conference and 20th to 15th overall.
Montreal Impact:
Current Record (W-L-D): 2-4-4
Last Time Out: 2-3 loss vs. Columbus Crew
Player to Watch For: Ignacio Piatti has four goals and an assist so far this season, and helped Montreal escape Providence Park with a point last year. Despite only playing in eight of the ten matches, Piatti has more goals than any of the listed forwards.
Why They Win: The Timbers back line has been pretty dreadful the last few games. While Darlington Nagbe is expected to make the Timbers XI, Montreal has the capability to punish their defense.
Why They Don’t: Montreal have only managed four points from their four home games this season, (1W-2L-1D). Currently in last place in the East, and third bottom among all teams, they’ve actually picked up more points on the road than at home this season.
Predicted Starting Eleven:
Predicted @impactmontreal line up for tomorrow's game against Portland. pic.twitter.com/f1kz9SoKAR
— Scott Behler (@ScottBehler) May 19, 2017
Portland Timbers:
Current Record (W-L-D): 5-3-3
Last Time Out: 1-1 draw vs. Atlanta United
Player to Watch For: Sebastian Blanco has been a tireless work horse this season. While the other attacking midfielders Darlington Nagbe and Diego Valeri are better-known commodities, Blanco’s recent arrival hasn’t stopped Portland supporters from loving him. A tireless worker with the ability to score or pick a pass, Blanco has slotted seamlessly into the attack. After two games where he was expected to provide most or all of the attack, look for him to come to life now that he has reinforcements.
Why They Win: Darlington Nagbe has made the trip to Montreal and Coach Caleb Porter expects that he will play. This will be the first time that the Timbers attack has seen the field together since their draw at FC Dallas on April 29th.
Why They Don’t: Portland’s backline was better last week, but still not convincing. There’s a lot of individual mistakes in that defense, and Montreal is looking to prevent a third straight defeat at home.
Predicted Starting Eleven:
Predicted @TimbersFC line up for tomorrow's game against Montreal. #PTFC #RCTID pic.twitter.com/ch1rcd7LrU
— Scott Behler (@ScottBehler) May 19, 2017
Final Score Prediction:
How to Watch:
Where: Saputo Stadium/Stade Saputo — Montreal, Quebec, Canada
When: Saturday, May 20, 3:00 PM (Eastern)
Channel: ROOT Sports Northwest, Root Sports Northwest HD, MLS Live