As a player, David Beckham was one of a number of pros who helped to develop the MLS and now he re-enters the division as a proud owner. The former LA Galaxy, Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder is now at the helm of Inter Miami FC but it hasn’t been the best of starts for the newly-formed club.
Two straight defeats have left Miami in 12th place in the Eastern Conference after losses to Los Angeles FC and DC United. The side are finding it tough but Miami have a good chance to record their first points when they host LA Galaxy (2pm ET Saturday). Beckham’s former club are without a win themselves so both teams will be anxious to claim a much-needed victory.
Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy Moneyline Odds
There’s little to split the three possible outcomes in this game with the USA’s top-rated sportsbooks producing a tight moneyline market. With the benefit of home advantage, Inter Miami are the marginal favorites and you can pick up the hosts at around the +109 mark. Backers of LA Galaxy can look forward to a general return of +225 while the draw completes everything at around the +270 mark.
Early season fixtures are always going to be a tough call and neither side is showing any form. Four combined matches have produced just one point between them and a draw could be a logical outcome. This preview will come back to this in our Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy predictions and picks verdict but for now, let’s take a look at some props.
Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy Prop Bets
There are few options for individual goal scorer betting right now so we’ll start with one of the most common prop bets – both teams to score. It’s available for this tie at a typical price of -200 but you can vote for the ‘no’ option and increase it to around +140. Miami and Galaxy have registered one goal each in those opening four matches so we wouldn’t jump on BTTS with any great confidence.
Similarly, the total goals betting may be short on value if that trend for low scoring matches continues. Backing over the 2.5 line will currently return prices at around -150 and that’s a little too short to be of interest. Instead, we could look to push higher and back over 3.5 at a general +150 but those scoring stats aren’t giving us much confidence.
Previous results are no indicators of future performances as we all know but our instinct suggests this will be a tight affair. A 2-1 scoreline on either side would trigger profits on both teams to score and over 2.5 goals so take those options if you want some modest profits
You could, however, take a correct score bet of LA Galaxy 2 Inter Miami 1 and this would offer odds of around the +1000 mark. Alternatively, if we reverse that scoreline in favor of Miami, it shortens to a general +800.
Key Men
Beckham and his co-owners appointed Diego Alonso as head coach of Inter Miami and the former Uruguayan international striker has helped to assemble an exciting squad. There are some promising young players in the roster but perhaps the lack of star names could cost Miami as the season develops.
It’s also quite an inexperienced side as evidenced by the fact that 21-year-old Robbie Robinson has played both MLS games to date. He has come straight from college but is regarded as a main striker for Miami and that’s a big burden for the youngster.
LA Galaxy were left with a huge hole to fill at the start of 2020 as their prolific striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned to Italy and his former club AC Milan. Galaxy will now look to rely more on Christian Pavon after they extended his loan period for the 2020 season. He is averaging around one goal in three games in the MLS and that ratio needs to improve.
To conclude, this preview has talked about a lack of goals in this preview and this is where both Inter Miami and LA Galaxy need to pick up on Saturday.
Our Betting Preview’s Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy Predictions & Picks Verdict
It may be early days in the 2020 MLS regular season but it’s fairly easy to see why Inter Miami are struggling right now. It’s always tough to build a roster from scratch and it will take time before this current team can gel as a potent unit.
LA Galaxy are also having their problems in front of goal and that can be put down to the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the close season. Both teams should improve in the weeks ahead but the facts so far point to a low scoring encounter at the CF Stadium. Our instinct suggests that the experience of Galaxy will tell over 90 minutes and in these early encounters, teams will be able to take advantage of Miami’s struggles to become a cohesive unit.
LA Galaxy for the win is the tip while the additional prop bets will hopefully add to a profitable afternoon in Fort Lauderdale. These are the Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy Predictions for this preview:
- LA Galaxy to win @ best odds of +240 with Bovada.
- Correct Score of Inter Miami 1 LA Galaxy 2 @ +1000 with Bovada or Intertops.
- LA Galaxy to score over 1.5 goals @ +145 with Bovada.
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.