Columbus Crew vs. New England Revolution Prediction, Preview and Odds - 7/3/21
The Columbus Crew welcomes the New England Revolution to the midwest on Saturday afternoon at Lower.com Field in Columbus. Saturday's game will be a rematch of May 16th’s 1-0 for the Revolution at home. In that one, an Adam Buska 86th minute goal was the difference as the Revolution took twice as many shots en route to a great three points at home. The Revolution enter the weekend in first place in the Eastern Conference, sitting on 23 points in 11 games, even though they only have a positive-five goal differential. For Columbus, they aren't terrible far back, but more find themselves in the playoff hunt itself. The Crew sit on 15 points in ten games and will be looking to now protect their own home field after New England was able to protect theirs early in the spring.
Columbus Putting Stars on Full Display
Columbus will be thrilled to be back at home for Saturday’s match with the Revolution, especially given their back-to-back road games heading into Saturday. On the road in Austin, they were able to take away a point with a 1-1 draw, while on the road against Philadelphia, they dropped a 1-0 game. Last week let fans embrace an exciting game, even despite the 0-0 draw. The two teams combined for 32 total shots and 11 total shots on goal and against Philadelphia it was a similar breakdown in terms of lack of domination.
Columbus will be potentially without six players on Saturday, with a few having played key roles in the lineup. Aidan Morris (left knee), Artur (right hip), and Bradley Wright-Phillips (right hip), all will be out at least through the weekend. For questionable players it’s Perry Kitchen (right thigh), Josh Williams (left ankle), and Luis Diaz (right knee), who may not be available in the starting 11, but can still have an influx of energy if needed off the bench as well..
Columbus, the defending MLS Champions, has one of the deepest and most talented lineups, but still have struggled to see the wins come along. The household names include Darlington Nagbe, Gyasi Zardes, and Bradley Wright-Phillips, all of whom have the experience and athleticism that can make it a long night for New England’s defense. Zardes and Lucas Zelarayan are tied for the team lead with six goals each, while Luis Diaz is the only other goal scorer on the team, which explains some of the struggles they’ve had in the early going. Columbus also only has three assists on the team as a whole and unless the team starts gelling, it seems difficult to think they’ll have enough to hoist a trophy come fall, let alone take all three points from first-place New England.
Revolution Headline East
The Revolution will head west in what will be a second-straight game on the road for the Eastern Conference leaders. Last time out saw them go on the road, dropping that game 2-1 to FC Dallas, giving them six of a possible nine points since teams returned from break in mid-June. The Revolution will be riding high after winning the first matchup between the two teams this season, but things can change in a hurry and if they aren’t ready to take care of the ball on Saturday, Columbus will be ready to grab a win.
The Revolution will be missing far less than the Crew, which will be a huge advantage even with them coming off a road trip. As of Thursday, Luis Caidedo and Christian Malfa are both out, but there are still plenty of options for the staff to piece together a comfortable lineup. New England has some of the best attacking groups in soccer and they’ll need every last goal to stay involved and keep the game close. Gustavo Bou is the leading scorer with five goals, while Adam Buska, who had the game-winning goal in the first meeting with Columbus, is in second place with four goals. Overall, nine goals have been scored throughout and it wouldn’t be shocking to see a more experienced player like Teal Bunbery, to get more involved in the offense. Another player to keep an eye on is Andrew Farrell, one of the best center backs in the business, whose athleticism can dictate this game.
Pick: Columbus (+115)
Columbus has the names and experience to think that the revenge factor will have something to do with bouncing back from the 1-0 defeat handed to them by the Revolution earlier this season. Between Zardes alone, it’s tough for New England to have the answers up top to keep pace and while New England has some great scoring depth themselves, this just doesn’t seem like a great matchup. Add in that New England will be on the road with games packed in over the last few weeks, and the travel will impact the Revolution more so than anything else. Another concern for New England is their inability to have a takeover player that they can rely on, which could make things tough against a midfield that will likely pack it in once they have the lead and be content to even just to get a point out of the matchup. Expect Columbus to play one of their most complete games of the season on Saturday and the depth of their scoring will be on full display in the win.
Pick: Under
Both of these teams have more of a grind-it-out style rather than trying to outscore their opponents, and Saturday’s game will see goals, but not as many as we’ve been accustomed to seeing in the league this year. Both teams also still have an athletic back line and the addition of Wright-Phillips being out for Columbus instantly drops the value slightly of their goal-scoring ability. The last three meetings between these two teams have all been 1-0 wins, while only 2019 saw two goals scored and 2018 saw just another single goal game. If history tells us anything, it’s that both teams absorb pressure when facing off against each other and do not expect the scoreboard to be lighting up.
