Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew prediction, picks & best bets

For one last time before there’s a break in Major League Soccer play, there’s action at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday evening.

After that tie against NYCFC on Wednesday night, the hosts will be looking to sign off with a win, but beating a very strong Columbus Crew will be anything but easy. Read on for our Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew predictions.

Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew prediction

For the Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew match prediction, we believe the final score will be a 3-2 win for Columbus based on our analysis.

Both teams have shown an ability to score goals of late, that’s for sure, but the visitors just have that winning mentality, which could be the deciding factor when the pair do battle on Saturday evening.

Our predictions for Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew are as follows:

• Christian Ramirez to Score @ +205 with BetMGM

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Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew betting odds

The early betting lines (Moneyline) imply a winning probability of 33.3% for Atlanta, giving the Columbus Crew a 46.5% winning chance.

Using our own calculations, we’ve landed on a winning chance of 32.8% for Atlanta, as well as a 48.8% chance for Columbus.

Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew head-to-head statistics

When the teams met earlier in the season, the Crew won by a goal to nil at Lower.com Field, with the continually impressive Cucho Hernandez scoring the only goal of the game during the first half.

The Crew has won three of the last four renewals of this fixture, though neither side has beaten the other away from home since 2022, when the Crew won by two goals to one at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew preview

This game will take place on 20/07/2024 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kick off will be at 20:30 local time.

The Five Stripes did manage to stop the rot on Wednesday, tying with NYCFC on home soil, but there probably won’t have been much enthusiasm buzzing around the locker room at full time.

Why? Well, that result, though more positive than other recent results, will have felt a lot like a loss given that Gonzalo Pineda’s men raced into a two-goal lead, which they held with only 25 minutes left on the clock.

A bitter pill to swallow indeed for a team desperate to win, though such an effort should give the hosts a platform from which to build. Unfortunately for them, this is a tough task, especially with them winless in five games.

For the visitors, it’s been all smiles of late. Wilfried Nancy’s men ran riot in Los Angeles recently, smashing five goals past one of the best teams in all of Major League Soccer, while they’ve now not lost in six.

Not only have the Columbus Crew avoided defeat in each of their last six games, but they’ve won five of those, proving themselves to be very deadly when playing on the break away from home.

Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew picks

There’s plenty that I fancy to happen in this game and I certainly won’t be surprised if it’s a fixture blessed with plenty of goals, though given how the early lines have shaped up, only one bet looks to offer a slice of value. Here goes.

Christian Ramirez to Score

Much of the attention as far as the Columbus Crew are concerned has gone the way of Cucho Hernandez, who once again has shown himself to be one of the very best in Major League Soccer.

However, this Columbus side is far from a one-man team. Diego Rossi has also made a sizable contribution, while Christian Ramirez is not a man to forget about.

I’m certainly not neglecting the US forward, who as far as I’m concerned, at odds of +205, is worth betting on to notch on Saturday night.

The seasoned striker recently bagged a brace against old side LAFC, taking his recent tally to four goals in four games, while he’s scored a total of seven this season.

In recent weeks, Ramirez has had a consistent and fruitful run in the team and the man who averages a hugely eye-catching 0.71 goals per 90 minutes this term looks very hungry indeed, shooting five times in his last game.

He now averages 3.16 shots (per 90 minutes) in Major League Soccer this season. Against a weak home defense, I’m backing him to increase his goal total on Saturday.

Recap - Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew best bets

To confirm, there’s just the one viable bet ahead of this game, which is:

Christian Ramirez to Score @ +205 with BetMGM

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