Chicago Fire vs Columbus Crew prediction, preview, team news and more | MLS 2021
Chicago Fire play host to Columbus Crew at Soldier Field Stadium on Monday in round 20 of the MLS.
Chicago Fire will look to get one over the Crew, having failed to pick up a win in their last seven meetings across all competitions.
Columbus Crew returned to winning ways last Sunday courtesy of a 2-1 victory over New York Red Bulls.
Serbian forward Luka Stojanović hit two goals in the first eight minutes of the game to put Chicago Fire in a commanding position before Tom Barlow grabbed a consolation goal in the 97th minute.
Prior to that, Raphael Wicky’s men were on a five-game winless run, picking up two draws and losing three.
With 17 points from 18 games, Chicago Fire are currently 11th in the Eastern Conference standings, two points above rock-bottom Toronto FC.
Columbus Crew, meanwhile, failed to end their struggles as they suffered a 3-2 defeat against Atlanta United.
Argentine midfielder Ezequiel Barco put on a solid individual display, scoring twice in the first 35 minutes to inspire the visitors to victory.
Caleb Porter’s side have now suffered defeat in their last three games, scoring five goals and conceding 11.
Despite their recent struggles, Columbus Crew remain in the playoff spot. They are currently seventh on the log, one point above CF Montreal just outside the playoff places.
Chicago Fire vs Columbus Crew Head-To-Head
There have been 65 previous meetings between the two Eastern Conference sides. Chicago Fire have been the slightly superior side, claiming 22 wins. Columbus Crew have picked up 20 wins, while 23 games have ended all square.
Chicago Fire Form Guide: D-L-D-D-W
Columbus Crew Form Guide: D-W-L-L-L
Chicago Fire vs Columbus Crew Team News
Chicago Fire
Chicago Fire will be without Kenneth Kronholm and Miguel Angel Navarro, who have been sidelined through knee and shin injuries respectively.
Injured: Kenneth Kronholm, Miguel Angel Navarro
Suspended: None
Columbus Crew
Aidan Morris, Milton Valenzuela, Perry Kitchen, Voot Wormgoor and Josh Williams are all nursing injuries and will miss the game.
Injured: Aidan Morris, Milton Valenzuela, Perry Kitchen, Voot Wormgoor, Josh Williams
Suspended: None
Chicago Fire vs Columbus Crew Predicted XI
Chicago Fire Predicted XI (3-5-2): Gabriel Slonina; Wyatt Omsberg, Francisco Calvo, Mauricio Pineda; Boris Sekulic, Jonathan Bornstein, Fabian Herbers, Alvaro Medran, Gaston Gimenez; Ignacio Aliseda, Robert Beric
Columbus Crew Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Eloy Room; Waylon Francis, Jonathan Mensah, Aboubacar Keita, Harrison Afful; Alexandru Matan, Darlington Nagbe; Lucas Zelarayan, Luis Diaz, Pedro Santos; Gyasi Zardes
Chicago Fire vs Columbus Crew Prediction
Columbus Crew have been dominant in their recent encounters with the hosts and head into the game on a seven-game unbeaten streak in this fixture.
Despite their recent slump in form, we predict they will claim the win as they have been significantly better for most of the season
Prediction: Chicago Fire 1-2 Columbus Crew
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