Betting-Previews.com brings you a Major League Soccer (MLS) betting preview and predictions for a match between Orlando City and Columbus Crew, who will clash on Saturday, September 4, at Exploria Stadium. Orlando last met with Columbus Crew in a friendly match in March, when they won 1-0.
Orlando City vs Columbus Crew
When: Saturday, September 4 – 19:30 EDT
Where: Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida
Weather: Clear, 29°C
Orlando City are comfortable in third place in the Eastern Conference with 35 points, one clear of New York City in fourth and three short of Nashville SC in second. On the other side, Columbus Crew are at 27 points, which is good for eighth place, three short of DC United in seventh.
With the season slowly drawing to a close, each point has become far more valuable, particularly for visitors who need to step up their game if they wish to enter the postseason. However, knowing that they have not won against Orlando City once since 2018 surely doesn’t help make a case for them.
Orlando City Bleeding Points
Orlando City enter this match with a 9-8-4 record and 35 points to their name, which is good for third place in the West. They’re still three points short of Nashville SC (9-11-2, 38 points), albeit they have one game in hand.
At the same time, they’re just one point clear of New York City in fourth (10-4-7, 34 points) and three points ahead of Philadelphia Union (8-8-7, 32 points), which puts them in a position, where each mistake could cost them a favourable seed for the playoffs.
Although the Lions have done well to avoid losing too many games, they have been bleeding points by drawing way too many of their recent bouts. Across their last five, Orlando City won only one game and drew four, which isn’t optimal.
That stretch includes a win against Chicago Fire (1-0), and four draws against Inter Miami (1-1), FC Cincinnati (1-1), Nashville SC (1-1), and most recently, a 0-0 stalemate at Exploria Stadium against Inter Miami.
Orlando will be without Oriol Rosell and Jhegson Mendez for tonight’s match, as they are recovering from injuries, while Alexandre Pato remains out with an injured knee.
Columbus Crew Showing Slight Improvements
Columbus Crew are 7-6-9 on the season, with 27 points. This is good for eighth place in the West, tied with Atlanta United (6-9-7, 27 points), and three points short of DC United (9-3-10, 30 points) in seventh.
Unlike the Lions, who have been losing points by drawing too many games, the Crew have been dropping points the old-fashioned way – by losing games. Their form of late hasn’t been great, to say the least, seeing how Caleb Porter’s men lost four of their last five outings.
That includes losses against Atlanta United (2-3), Chicago Fire (0-1), New York Red Bulls (0-1), and Seattle Sounders (1-2). On a more positive note, the Crew have played a few close games and picked up a win last round when they beat FC Cincinnati (3-2) at home.
It marked Columbus Crew’s fifth victory at Lower.com Field of the season (5-3-2), where they have picked up 18 of their 27 points. On the road, the Crew have produced only nine points from 11 games and just four from their last five trips.
However, it’s worth noting that Columbus Crew have done well in away games prior to their slump. They have played draws against Austin FC (0-0) and FC Cincinnati (2-2) and produced a 1-0 victory against Atlanta Utd.
For tonight’s game, Columbus Crew will be without Gyasi Zardes, Perry Kitchen, Aidan Morris, Josh Williams, Artur, and Milton Valenzuela, who are out with injuries. Miguel Berry is expected to feature, following his phenomenal performance against Cincinnati, when he has scored two goals in 81′ and 83′.
Orlando City vs Columbus Crew Betting Pick
Orlando City are 5-0 up in the head to head with Columbus Crew and will look to add another win today. These two sides last met in a friendly match in March, when Orlando won 1-0, having edged out a 2-1 victory at home back in November 2020.
To no one’s surprise, Orlando City are expected to deliver today, but we like the visitors with a +0.5 handicap better. The Crew have shown some improvement of late, and while it’s unlikely that they’ll achieve much on the year, they should stand a good chance against a squad that has produced four draws in their last five and hasn’t scored more than a goal across their last three home fixtures.
The odds on Columbus Crew are too generous!
Prediction: Columbus Crew +0.50 Asian Handicap – 2.05 at Sportmarket
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