Columbus Crew (home)
- Columbus come into this fixture in mixed form, but they did bounce back from a 1-3 home defeat to New England Revolution by defeating Colorado Rapids 3-0 on home turf last time out.
- Laurent Courtois has steered the Black & Gold back toward a more familiar 3-4-3 and 5-2-3 shape.
- The wingbacks play a pivotal role in both their pressing and attacking third efforts.
- After the 3-0 win over Colorado, Columbus have five wins, one draw and four defeats in their last 10 in all competitions.
New York Red Bulls (away)
- New York Red Bulls are enduring a dry spell as they have failed to win any of their last five, losing three and drawing two.
- New York have just one win from their last four away games across all competitions, averaging 1.00 goals scored and 1.50 goals conceded per game on the road.
- Their 4-2-3-1 system is designed to swarm the central areas and force turnovers.
Key Players
Diego Rossi is the main man for the Crew with six goals in 15 MLS appearances this season.
Betting Insights
- Odds:Columbus are favorites at 1.83, New York are listed at 3.6 and the draw is 4.0.
- Markets:Over 2.5 goals is 1.4 and Both Teams to Score - Yes is 1.42.
- Columbus have scored an average of 2.29 goals per game at home across all competitions, hitting 16, while New York have averaged just 1.00 goals on the road.
Prediction
- Columbus are the most likely winner.
- We're sticking with our main selection for this matchup to be a close one in which Columbus come out on top, but there is a case to be made for a goal drought as the two teams are not exactly free-scoring.