Diego Valeri can make his mark for Portland

MLS
Sky Sports Football, 9pm Sunday

Portland Timbers have picked up just two points from their opening four MLS games but they could feel much happier about things following a trip to Orlando City.

The 2015 MLS Cup winners have a habit of starting the season slowly and the manner of their defeats at LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls will have concerned coach Giovanni Savarese.

But the Timbers are improving and score draws on trips to Dallas and Chicago Fire are a step in the right direction.

The Timbers’ strength is going forward and influential midfielder Diego Valeri and striker Fanedo Adi could make hay at Orlando, who have conceded five times in their two home matches this season.

Minnesota notched twice and Red Bulls made their mark three times, and Portland should be confident against such leaky opposition.

Portland tend to struggle on their travels but Orlando are rarely home bankers – they have won only two of their last 12 league matches at their Florida base – and this is an excellent chance for them to get their season back on track.

However, with two inconsistent sides on show, taking a chance on Argentinian ace Valeri to have an impact could be the best play.

Valeri was the third leading scorer in the league last season with 21 goals - only David Villa and Nemanja Nikolic bagged more.

The 31-year-old opened the scoring at Chicago after just six minutes on their last road trip and should get plenty of chances to add to that.

Valeri is one of the most creative players on the park, he scored twice the last time these sides met and 5-2 about him doing so again looks excellent value.

Recommendation
D Valeri to score at any time
1pt 5-2 Betfair

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