Preview:Columbus Crew vs. Puebla - prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming to bounce back from matchday one's Leagues Cup penalty defeat against Toluca, the Columbus Crew face Puebla at Lower.com Field on Friday, seeking maximum points.

Wilfried Nancy’s men squandered a two-goal lead against the Liga MX side in Ohio on Tuesday before losing the shootout, leaving them in need of a response in matchday two against Los Camoteros, who comfortably beat New York City FC 3-0, placing them at the top of their section heading into Friday’s game with the Crew.

Match preview

When Diego Rossi and Maximilian Arfsten scored for the Crew on Tuesday night, fans in Ohio might have thought they had already secured victory in matchday one's Leagues Cup contest against Toluca.

It remained that way until the final 20 minutes, when Paulinho scored twice in the 71st and 80th minutes to pull the Liga MX side level and force a penalty shootout, which they ultimately won.

Considering the format of the Leagues Cup — where teams can finish with zero, one, two or three points depending on the score after 90 minutes — a draw earns one point and the shootout winner earns an additional point, Nancy's second-placed team enter Friday's match against their Mexican opponents with one point in their group, as none of the six MLS sides managed to win in 90 minutes on July 29.

With 12 more teams to play before the Crew's next fixture, the Ohio team are unlikely to maintain second place before facing Puebla in matchday two.

After holding the lead for much of Tuesday's game, supporters of the Black and Gold left Lower.com Field disappointed, but there remains time to turn things around and ultimately finish in the coveted top four among the 18 MLS teams vying to reach the quarter-finals.

Defeating Puebla could be challenging, given Los Camoteros’ apparent turnaround in fortunes across consecutive matches both domestically and in the Leagues Cup.

After losing back-to-back matches to start this year's Apertura, Pablo Guede’s team beat Santos Laguna 1-0 in their league and have since followed up that success with a resounding 3-0 victory over New York FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

That success places La Franja second in the Liga MX league table, tied with Tigres and Pachuca, both of whom secured wins over the Houston Dynamo and San Diego FC.

While it remains to be seen how matches on July 30 and July 31 unfold, Puebla aim to continue the strong start made by the Mexican clubs in this year's Leagues Cup.

They travel to Ohio in good form, having won their last two games, and seek to avoid defeat for a third consecutive match — a feat not achieved since last year when the Sweet Potatoers went three unbeaten from late August to mid-September.

Columbus Crew Leagues Cup form:

Columbus Crew form (all competitions):

Puebla Leagues Cup form:

Puebla form (all competitions):

Team News

Although the Crew escaped without major injuries against Toluca, they still lack the services of the sidelined Mohamed Farsi (back), Nicholas Hagen and Rudy Camacho (both have thigh injuries).

Rossi had a tough outing on matchday one, missing an 88-minute penalty that could have won the game before being thwarted in the subsequent shootout; however, the attacking midfielder, who has scored 12 times in MLS and opened the scoring on Tuesday, should keep his place.

Unlike the American team, Puebla appears to have sustained injuries during their matchday one fixture, as Franco Moyano and Edgar Guerra were withdrawn after 23 minutes, and Denilson Paz was taken off with five minutes remaining.

The three players may join Lucas Cavallini on the sidelines, leaving Guede with up to four players unavailable due to injury.

With Emiliano Gomez scoring and assisting in the 3-0 win after replacing Guerra, the forward could start on Friday, aiming to continue his strong start in this year's Leagues Cup.

Columbus Crew possible starting lineup:

Schulte; Moreira, Zawadzki, Cheberko, Arfsten; Chambost, Nagbe; Aliyu, Rossi, Gazdag; Russell-Rowe

Puebla possible starting lineup:

Rodriguez; Pachuca, Fedorco, Diaz; Gomez, Organista, Paz, Ramirez, Gonzalez; Gamarra; Marin

We say: Columbus Crew 1-2 Puebla

With the Columbus Crew conceding two goals or more in four of their last five matches across all competitions, the Ohio club’s leaky defence could prove their downfall in matchday two.

Considering Puebla’s ongoing defensive resilience, the Liga MX side are backed to edge Friday’s clash to secure back-to-back wins in this year’s Leagues Cup.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.