Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Major League Soccer match.
Charlotte
Bookmakers appear surprisingly optimistic about a home win, despite the fact that Charlotte have lost all of their last five MLS matches. Their recent home defeat was particularly worrying, as the team were convincingly beaten 1:4 by Chicago Fire, a side that had been 11th in the standings with a game in hand at the time. No red cards were shown to the hosts – they simply allowed their opponents too many chances and were punished for it: 3.99 expected goals against, 23 shots faced (10 on target), and six big chances conceded.
Columbus Crew
Columbus Crew have lost just once this season – a narrow 0:1 defeat to Inter Miami with Lionel Messi in the lineup. Since then, they’ve gone five games unbeaten, though the last three have all ended in draws. Notably, three of those five matches have seen over 2.5 goals scored.
Charlotte vs Columbus Crew Prediction
The most recent meeting between the sides took place in Columbus and ended in a 4:2 win for the hosts. Charlotte will face a major challenge on Sunday, particularly with five players ruled out due to injury and two more doubtful. Columbus Crew are only expected to be without Rudy Camacho and possibly Andrés Herrera. The visitors are unlikely to come away empty-handed, and the match is expected to feature at least three goals.
