Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union prediction, picks & best bets

The Columbus Crew fell victim to the magic of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez during the week and will now be looking to bounce back and build momentum ahead of the play-offs when facing the Philadelphia Union at home on Saturday evening.

Can Wilfried Nancy’s men get it done on home soil? Or will the visitors spring a surprise? Read on for our Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union predictions and picks.

Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union prediction

For the Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union match prediction, we believe the final score will be a 2-2 tie based on our analysis.

The hosts will want to improve following that mid-week defeat, but they know that they’re already in the play-offs, which could mean that they lose their edge a little, while the visitors have plenty to fight for, so don’t be surprised if it’s a tight game.

Our Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union predictions and picks:

• Over 3.5 Goals @ +110 with BetMGM Sportsbook

• Moneyline Tie @ +350 with DraftKings Sportsbook

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Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union betting odds

Below you will see the implied probabilities behind the Moneyline odds for this MLS fixture, as well as our adjusted probabilities and the differences.

Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union head-to-head statistics

When the teams last met, back in late August, it was a tight game, one that the Crew edged by a goal to zero. When the teams met at Lower.com Field towards the end of the last season, they tied 1-1. Interestingly, three of the last four meetings between the pair in Columbus have ended in ties.

Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union preview

This game will take place on 05/10/2024 at Lower.com Field. Kick off will be at 20:30 local time.

There was little wrong with the way the Crew played on Wednesday evening and they certainly weren’t outplayed by Conference leaders Inter Miami, it’s just that their visitors had Lionel Messi to rely on and they did not. Sometimes, it’s really that simple.

In all competitions, Wilfried Nancy’s men are now without a win in three, but they continue to score goals and look threatening offensively, with Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi looking particularly dangerous, so even if they don’t desperately need to win this game, they’ll fancy themselves to make offensive headway, that’s for sure.

For the visitors, it was a case of mid-week distress too. They narrowly lost in Orlando, which was never going to be an easy place to go, though Jim Curtin will likely have been disappointed to leave Exploria Stadium empty handed after his team competed well.

That was a first defeat in four for the Union, who are certainly scrapping to get into that all-important top nine. Pick up at least a point here and their dreams of reaching the play-offs will become very achievable ahead of the final round of fixtures.

Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union picks

With the lines the way that they are right now, two bets appeal:

Over 3.5 Goals

Whichever way we look at this fixture, goals seem inevitable. The pressure is off the hosts, which means that their offensive players can enjoy themselves, while the visitors have no choice but to fight hard for a positive result and to get one of those at Lower.com Field, they’ll need to score goals.

Let’s face it, the goals have flowed for the Crew in recent weeks, with each of their last four games containing three or more goals, with at least four goals being scored in three of those four.

At Lower.com Field, there is very rarely a shortage of goals, with each of Columbus’ last four home games in MLS containing four or more goals.

When the pair met here in the Leagues Cup back in late August, they shared four goals, so we probably shouldn’t expect a lack of goals on Saturday.

Moneyline Tie

At odds of +350, I really must bet this game to end in a tie. Sure, we know that the Crew can be deadly at home, but given that their play-off position has been secure for some time, it’s probably fair to say that they’ve lost their edge, while the visitors would probably settle for a tie, which would give them a solid chance of sneaking into the play-offs with a home win next time out.

Of course, the hosts have the quality to come out on top, but with the script the way that it is, there really does appear to be value available by betting on things to end level. After all, the Union have hung in there against some strong teams of late, while they have a recent history of clinging to a point at Lower.com Field too.

Recap - Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union best bets

To recap, our two best bets for this Major League Soccer fixture are:

Over 3.5 Goals @ +110 with BetMGM Sportsbook

Moneyline Tie @ +350 with DraftKings Sportsbook

More MLS betting picks:

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