Columbus Crew vs FC Cincinnati Prediction: Both Sides Should Grab a Goal

Columbus Crew welcome FC Cincinnati to the Lower.com field as the league games resumes. Both clubs had their league cup participation come to an end early. Columbus Crew lost to Minnesota United on penalties after playing a 3-3 draw, while FC Cincinnati lost on penalties to Nashville SC after playing a 1-1 draw.

Prior to the Leagues Cup, Toronto FC lost their game against Columbus Crew and are ranked 6th in the Eastern Conference with 36 points from 23 matches. They won 10 games, drew 6 and lost 7. FC Cincinnati ended their league run with a 3-1 win against Nashville prior to the Leagues Cup and they are currently at the top of the League with 51 points from 23 matches. They won 15 matches, drew 6 and lost 2 games in the league.

Columbus Crew can now turn their attention to the league after exiting the league cup for failing to win against Minnesota United. In their last 5 matches in all competitions, they had 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat. They played a 1-1 draw against New York City in the league and then lost against Portland Timbers (3-2). And in the Leagues Cup, they won their first two games against Saint Louis City (2-1) and America (4-1), then they played a 3-3 draw with Minnesota United and went on to lose on penalties to end their League Cup run.

Columbus Crew had played against FC Cincinnati once this season already and they lost the game 3-2 at full time. Lucas Zelarayan and Malte Amundsen scored both goals for Columbus Crew in the 40th and 52nd minutes, but that did not stop them from losing as FC Cincinnati scored 3 goals in the game. Columbus Crew managed more possession in the game, taking over 66%. They also had more shots on target (7) and more corner kicks (4).

Starting XI

Evan Bush, Steven Moreira, Sean Zawadzki, Malte Amundsen, Yevhen Cheberko, Darlington Nagbe, Aidan Morris, Julian Gressel, Alexandru Matan, Christian Ramirez, Cucho Hernandez.

FC Cincinnati were unlucky to exit the Leagues Cup after losing to Nashville SC on penalties. Now they return to the MLS league with the aim to continue their excellent form and maintain their place at the top of the table. In their last 5 games, they had 3 wins and 2 draws. They won games against New York Red Bulls (2-1), Nashville SC (3-1) in the league. And then they drew against Sporting Kansas City (3-3) in the Leagues Cup but advanced on penalties, and then they beat Guadalajara (3-1) in the next round. Finally they played a 1-1 draw with Nashville SC, but lost on penalties to see their Leagues Cup participation come to an end.

FC Cincinnati will be playing against Columbus Crew for the second time this season after winning the first match 3-2 at home. FC Cincinnati had the lead in the first half as Luciano Acosta scored a brace in the 17th and 23rd minutes. Then junior Moreno scored their 3rd goal in the 67th minute to ensure they beat Columbus Crew at full time. FC Cincinnati had poor stats in the game, as they had 34% possession, 6 shots on target and 2 corner kicks.

Starting XI

Alec Kann, Yerson Mosquera, Matthew Miazga, Ian Murphy, Alvas Powell, Obinna Nwaobodo, Junior Moreno, Brandon Vazquez, Luciano Acosta, Aaron-Salem Boupendza, Alvaro Barreal.

Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati have faced each other 12 times in the past. Columbus Crew won 6 matches, while FC Cincinnati won 3 matches and 4 matches ended in a draw.

Analysis of Columbus Crew shows they have scored 45 goals and conceded 33 goals in 23 matches this season. They scored an average of 2.0 goals per game and had a conversion rate of 14%. They take an average of 13.6 shots per game and 4.8 of those were on target. They also managed an average of 4.4 corners per game and retained 57.2% possession. They have conceded an average of 1.4 goals per game and currently have 5 clean sheets.

Analysis of FC Cincinnati shows they have scored 39 goals and conceded 25 goals in 23 matches this season. They scored an average of 1.7 goals per game and had a conversion rate of 13%. They take an average of 12.6 shots per game and 4.7 of those were on target. They also managed an average of 4.4 corners per game and retained 48.2% possession. They have conceded an average of 1.1 goals per game and currently have 9 clean sheets.

• Away Handicap (1) at 1.64 Odds
• Both Teams to Score at 1.6 Odds
• More than 2.5 Goals at 1.66 Odds