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Columbus Crew will host Chicago Fire at the Lower.com Field on Saturday in another round of the 2023-24 MLS campaign.
The home side have enjoyed a positive start to their season, kicking things off with a 1-0 win over Atlanta United. They played out a 1-1 draw against Minnesota United in their last league outing before picking up a late 1-0 win over Houston Dynamo in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup last-16 tie on Thursday.
Columbus Crew sit fifth in the Western Conference with four points from an obtainable six and will be hopeful of adding to that tally this Saturday.
Chicago Fire, meanwhile, are yet to come alive this season, playing out a 2-2 draw against Philadelphia Union in their league opener last month. They were then beaten 2-1 on home turf by Cincinnati United in their second match and could have no real complaints about the result after managing just one shot on target throughout the match.
The visitors sit 11th in the Western Conference with just one point and will be looking to pick up their first win of the season this weekend.
Columbus Crew vs Chicago Fire Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- There have been 82 meetings between Columbus and Chicago. The hosts have won 26 of those games while the visitors have won four more. There have been 26 draws between the two teams.
- The home side are undefeated in their last five games in this fixture.
- The visitors are without a clean sheet in their last five competitive outings.
- The Fire have conceded four goals in the league this season, the second-highest in the Western Conference so far.
- The Crew have scored at least one goal in each of their last 17 games across all competitions.
Columbus Crew vs Chicago Fire Prediction
Columbus have won six of their last seven games and have lost just one of their last 15 competitive outings. They have not lost a home league match since last April and are favorites for the weekend clash.
Chicago are on a run of back-to-back winless outings and have now lost three of their four matches. They have struggled for results on the road of late and could see defeat here.
Prediction: Columbus Crew 1-0 Chicago Fire
Columbus Crew vs Chicago Fire Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Columbus to win
Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Under 2.5 goals (Three of the hosts' last four matches have produced fewer than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: NO (Both sides have found the back of the net in just two of their last seven matchups)
