Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew Prediction: Columbus Crew have the advantage and confidence

Everything did not go according to plan for Atlanta United in the playoff first leg as they lost 2-0 to Columbus Crew away from home. Now they have all to play for in the Mercedes Stadium when they welcome Columbus Crew for the return leg. Atlanta United need to score at least 2 goals and keep Columbus Crew from scoring if they want to qualify. And for the Crew, they are coming into this game with a huge advantage and there is a lot of confidence and experience in the team which makes them strong favorites to advance to the next round.

Atlanta United

Atlanta United will need a better plan in this game if they are serious about winning. They lost the first leg by 2-0 and they were very poor in that game according to statistics. Besides conceding both goals, Atlanta United were also behind on possession, taking 49% and they failed to register a single shot on target throughout the game. They also managed to play 2 corner kicks. The defeat now takes their winless streak to 4 games in a row, which makes it more difficult to believe they can turn this around.

Although they are unbeaten in their last 4 games in a row, they still have a very poor record against Columbus Crew at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta United have failed to beat Columbus Crew at home since their 3-1 win in 2018. Since then, they have lost 4 of their last 5 meetings at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This is a strong indication that Atlanta United might struggle against The Crew in this return fixture.

Columbus Crew

The Crew are on course to progress to the next round after securing a 2-0 win in the first leg against Atlanta United. Cucho Hernandez scored the opening goal in the 46th minute and then he doubled his tally from the penalty spot in the 51st minute to seal the victory. The Crew were also dominant throughout the game according to the statistics. They had 51% possession, 8 shots on target and 5 corner kicks in that game.

Columbus Crew have the advantage and confidence going into this return leg and they are the favorites to advance. They are now unbeaten in their last 7 matches in a row following the win over Atlanta United. Also, they have a very good record against Atlanta at the Mercedes-Benz stadium. They won 4 of their last 5 meetings on that ground and only played a draw once in those 5 matches. Surely, they won’t be fazed with playing against Atlanta United at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium after such an excellent record behind them.

Head to Head

According to the head-to-head, Columbus Crew won 11 of their 20 matches against Atlanta United, while Atlanta United won 6 and 2 matches ended in a draw.

Analysis and Prediction

The Crew are feeling confident at the moment and I expect them to demonstrate that confidence once again against Atlanta United. They have beaten Atlanta United 4 times in their last 5 trips to the Mercedes Stadium and at the moment, Atlanta United are struggling to find a winning form. According to Statistics, Atlanta United have conceded a goal in their last 13 matches against Columbus Crew. Both teams found the back of next in 5 of their last 6 matches. I expect it to be tight, but The Crew should be comfortable to advance to the next round.

• Away to Win At Least One Half at 1.83 Odds
• Under 3.5 Goals at 1.88 Odds
• Away Win or Draw at 1.66 Odds