Austin FC vs Real Salt Lake prediction, picks & best bets

With the end of the regular campaign in sight, it’s now or never for Austin FC. Saturday’s hosts are looking to break into the all-important top nine, but can they do it?

Up against a strong RSL team, even at home, they’ve got their work cut out, though the visitors were held at home last time out, so perhaps there is hope for Josh Wolff’s men. Read on for our Austin FC vs Real Salt Lake predictions.

Austin FC vs Real Salt Lake prediction

For the Austin FC vs Real Salt Lake match prediction, we believe the final score will be a 2-2 tie based on our analysis.

The hosts haven’t exactly thrived of late, but the visitors have been struggling defensively, so this could be seen as an opportunity to score goals. Will that leave them open at the back? Probably. Expect goals all round.

Our predictions and picks for Austin FC vs Real Salt Lake:

• Over 3.0 Asian Total @ +100 with DraftKings Sportsbook

• Sebastian Driussi to Score @ +220 with DraftKings Sportsbook

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Austin FC vs Real Salt Lake betting odds

See the table below for the implied probabilities behind the Moneyline odds for this MLS fixture, as well as our adjusted probabilities and the differences.

Austin FC vs Real Salt Lake head-to-head statistics

Away wins are seemingly rare in this fixture. Only two of the eight previous meetings have gone the way of the away team, with five of those eight being won by the home team. Of the eight renewals, four have gone the way of RSL, while the Austin boys have won three.

Austin FC vs Real Salt Lake preview

This game will take place on 28/09/2024 at Q2 Stadium. Kick off will be at 20:30 local time.

All is not yet lost as far as Austin’s play-offs hopes are concerned, but they need to start winning and they need to start winning now.

On the face of it, this game against high-flyers RSL may not seem like the best opportunity for Wolff’s men to howl at home, though the visitors have already done most of the hard work, which is perhaps why they’ve stepped off the gas a little in recent weeks.

The hosts may not have won any of their last four at home, but they’ve lost none of those games by a wide margin, often holding their own.

Moreover, the visitors have won very few road games, losing each of their last three in all competitions, conceding lots of goals, so don’t be surprised if the men from Q2 Stadium get serious here.

Austin FC vs Real Salt Lake picks

Two bets appeal ahead of this MLS fixture:

Over 3.0 Asian Total

Betting on goals to arrive at Q2 Stadium may just be a smart move at odds of +100. We have seen a lack of goals from the hosts of late, sure, but this is very much a chance for them to explode into offensive life.

Why? Well, let’s face it, the travellers have conceded an alarming amount of road goals in recent times, and they really have been all over the place defensively, conceding three or more goals in five of their last six away games (in all competitions).

Not only that, but four or more goals have been scored in three of their last five away MLS games, with three or more being scored in four of those five.

In addition, RSL’s last ten away games (domestic) have produced an average of 3.80 goals, so don’t be surprised if the goals flow on Saturday evening. I certainly won’t be.

Sebastian Driussi to Score

For the hosts, I’m betting on the once prolific Sebastian Driussi to awake from his slumber on Saturday. The Argentine is Austin’s all-time leading scorer in Major League Soccer and he’s absolutely due a goal.

It’s not been a vintage campaign for the man who scored 36 league goals in the last two seasons, but he still remains the home team’s biggest threat.

Shooting an average of 2.42 times per 90 minutes in MLS this term, more than any other Austin player, Driussi averages a healthy 0.37 expected goals.

If we take that to mean that, based on shot quality and other variables, the 27-year-old should really have scored 37% of the time, we get fair odds of +170 (=37% implied probability), making odds of +220 look generous. I’ll be taking such odds, that’s for sure.

Recap - Austin FC vs Real Salt Lake best bets

In summary, our best bets for Austin FC vs Real Salt Lake are as follows:

Over 3.0 Asian Total @ +100 with DraftKings Sportsbook

Sebastian Driussi to Score @ +220 with DraftKings Sportsbook

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