Sports Mole previews Saturday's Major League Soccer clash between Columbus Crew and New York Red Bulls, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

In the MLS Eastern Conference on Saturday, 10th-placed Columbus Crew will welcome New York Red Bulls, who sit a place higher in ninth position.

Both sides harbour playoff ambitions, and a win for either side would be crucial, with the season nearing its conclusion.

Match preview

Columbus Crew head coach Caleb Porter directs his team in the first half against Atlanta United at Lower.com Field on August 7, 2021 © Reuters

Columbus Crew enter the weekend three points adrift of the playoffs, and with only four games left, the hosts will be desperate for victory.

The home side head into the game in fine form, having lost just once in their last six MLS games, with three victories coming in that period.

Last weekend the Crew thrashed Inter Miami 4-0, courtesy of a brace from Gyasi Zardes, a goal from Pedro Santos and an own goal by Leandro Gonzalez.

They followed that victory with a midweek draw away to Nashville SC, and in that contest, a Lucas Zelarayan goal was cancelled out by Hany Mukhtar's equaliser.

Crew boss Caleb Porter will be confident heading into the contest, after his side beat New York Red Bulls 2-1 last month, with Darlington Nagbe and Miguel Berry getting on the scoresheet.

New York Red Bulls midfielder Cristian Casseres Jr (23) celebrates after scoring a goal in the first half against New York City FC at Red Bull Arena on October 17, 2021 © Reuters

New York Red Bulls sit a point off the top seven, with a game in hand, and they enter Saturday's fixture in good form.

In their previous fixture, the Red Bulls beat their rivals New York City, with Cristian Casseres's goal proving enough to separate the sides.

That result was the third consecutive 1-0 victory that the Red Bulls have collected, and they are unbeaten in their last seven games.

Part of Gerhard Struber's side's success has been their defence, with five clean sheets in their previous seven fixtures and only 30 goals conceded all season.

Saturday's visitors have scored six goals without reply in their last three away games, and they will be looking for a fourth consecutive away win at the weekend.

Columbus Crew Major League Soccer form:

Columbus Crew form (all competitions):

New York Red Bulls Major League Soccer form:

Team News

Columbus Crew forward Gyasi Zerdes celebrates his goal with teammates on June 20, 2021 © Reuters

Columbus Crew will be without Kevin Molino and Aiden Morris, who are both out for the remainder of the season.

Perry Kitchen and Artur are also set to miss the game due to injury issues.

Zardes was withdrawn at half time against Nashville, after picking up an injury, and if Columbus Crew's top scorer can not recover in time, then Berry will come into the starting lineup.

New York Red Bulls saw Fabio return from injury to play 63 minutes last weekend, and he is likely to keep his place in the starting lineup for Saturday.

Lucas Monzon is yet to make an appearance after returning to the last two squads following an injury absence, and he will have to settle for a place on the bench once again.

Struber will be without Aaron Long, who is out for the season with an Achilles tendon injury.

Columbus Crew possible starting lineup:
Room; Moreira, Mensah, Williams, Francis; Fraser, Nagbe, Zelarayan; Santos, Etienne, Berry

New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:
Carlos; Duncan, Reyes, Nealis, Gutman, Tolkin; Casseres, Yearwood, Davis, Carmona; Fabio

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We say: Columbus Crew 2-1 New York Red Bulls

Both sides enter the fixture in fine form, and the contest is a tough one to call, but with the home side winning the last four meetings, we think Columbus Crew will collect a narrow victory.

Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Columbus Crew win with a probability of 42.63%. A win for New York Red Bulls had a probability of 32.39% and a draw had a probability of 25%.

The most likely scoreline for a Columbus Crew win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.06%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.97%) and 2-0 (6.91%). The likeliest New York Red Bulls win was 0-1 (7.72%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.76%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 7.6% likelihood.