New York City FC vs Columbus Crew Predictions
The bookies have, surprisingly, got New York City FC to win this match. They clearly haven’t been watching New York City FC play this season. Of course, home advantage counts for something, but New York City FC have been a shadow of their past selves this season. They’ve not looked like a top team since Valentin Castellanos’ departure last season but they had a decent lead at the start of last season, which gave them a base to work from.
They have none of that now. Columbus Crew have been a midtable side for a few seasons, and it’s no different this time out. They also offer excellent value for this match, so picking a win makes sense. However, there’s even more value in picking a draw; that does seem like the most likely result with New York City FC out of form but playing at home. We think the odds on offer compel you to pick a draw for this match.
Previous Meetings
Another reason for Columbus Crew not to fear New York City FC is their superior head-to-head record. They’ve won nine, lost eight, and drawn four of their matches against the 2021 MLS Champions. They’ve also won three of the last five matches against New York City FC.
The last meeting between the two sides occurred in August 2022. Columbus Crew won 3-2 on the day despite getting off to the worst start. Jonathan Mensah put the ball into his own net in the 3rd minute, but Cucho Hernandez made up for it by scoring the equalizer in the 20th minute. Lucas Zelarayan added another to make it 2-1 for the home side seven minutes later. The half ended with Columbus Crew on top and in control.
New York City FC pulled one back to make it 2-2 in the 64th minute thanks to Gabriel Pereira, but they couldn’t hold on as Zelarayan added another 11 minutes later to give Columbus Crew all three points. It was a fantastic game, with both teams creating many chances.
Columbus Crew took 16 shots to New York City FC’s 13 but had just 42% of the possession. There wasn’t much between the two sides, but Columbus Crew edged it.
New York City FC Draw Second Straight Game 0-0
New York City FC drew 0-0 against Real Salt Lake over the weekend. This was their second 0-0 draw in a row. Goalscoring is one of the many issues they’ve faced this season. They were lucky to come away with a point in the end. Real Salt Lake took 20 shots on New York City FC’s goal, but only four were on target, luckily for New York City FC.
On the other hand, the away side just took five shots on goal, with one on target. They had 55% of the possession but weren’t able to carve even a half-decent chance. New York City FC’s decline has been one of the season's biggest stories.
They managed to show some fight towards the end of last season but seem to have lost it all in recent weeks. The team’s recruitment team also need to take some of the blame for not finding a suitable replacement for Valentic Castellanos, who left the club last season. Castellanos was one of the best players in the league during his time at the club. Everyone was expecting his departure to have an effect on the team, but the loss was far greater than estimated at the time.
New York City FC immediately saw a slump following his departure last season. They were almost unrecognizable from the team that was considered one of the favorites to win the title last season. It seems like they’ve lost all the aura from the last two seasons. It’s very hard to get it back and this season has only made matters worse.
They’ve not won a match in a little over a month, so they’re in desperate need of a win here. Columbus Crew are no pushovers, though. Based on recent form, we don’t see how they’ll conjure something up in this match.
Columbus Crew Get Third Straight Win Against Chicago
Columbus Crew won their third straight league game against Chicago 2-1 over the weekend. They had to wait right till the end to get all three points. The first half was fairly dull, with neither side getting on the scoresheet.
Cucho Hernadez, who has changed the club’s fortunes since signing last season, opened the scoring in the 59th minute. It looked like Xherdan Shaqiri’s 88th-minute strike was going to leave both teams with a point, but Lucas Zelarayan had other ideas and scored the winner three minutes into the 90.
Columbus Crew took 12 shots to Chicago’s seven and had 57% of the possession despite being the away side. They were worthy winners and were rewarded for not settling for a draw. They beat Charlotte 4-2 in the previous gameweek and Colorado 3-2 before.
They’re in a rich vein of form and look really good going forward. It’s hard to envision New York City FC containing them, even though New York City FC have kept clean sheets in their last two ties.
The underlying numbers also look good for Columbus. They’ve got the fourth-highest xG in the Eastern Conference table. Of course, their defense could use some improvements, as the recent results show, but they’re doing well for themselves.
It’s a bit strange that the bookmakers haven’t got them as the favorites for this match, considering the form of both teams. New York City FC desperately need a win, whereas Columbus Crew don’t have much riding on this game besides climbing up the table. They can’t take New York City FC too lightly, despite their poor form. We think they’ll play well but not offer enough to get all three points. A draw won’t be a bad result.
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