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

Two teams at opposite ends of the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference will meet on Saturday as Columbus Crew host the current league leaders Atlanta United.

While the visitors have been dominant throughout this season so far, the Crew are aiming to get back to winning ways after consecutive matches without three points.

Match preview

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Columbus Crew have had a mixed bag to start the season with one victory, one draw, and two losses so far at this stage of the campaign.

Their inconsistencies have led to them sitting 12th in the table heading into this match, but they will be wary of the fact that a defeat could lead to them slipping to the foot of the division.

The Crew were defeated 2-1 in their most recent outing against New York Red Bulls despite the fact that Alexandru Matan had initially given them the lead in the first half.

Letting an early lead slip is something that Wilfried Nancy's men did in the opening game of the season as well which is a situation that they will want to address.

However, the team might take some confidence from the fact that they were able to win their only home match of the season so far, which is a ground they will want to make a fortress.

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Despite Columbus Crew being undefeated at home throughout this campaign, the visitors have been able to win their only away match of the campaign with an impressive 3-0 win.

In fact, Atlanta United have not lost a single game all season out of the four they have played to this point which has led to them being at the top of the Eastern Conference.

The Five Stripes have been impressive during the start of the campaign when it comes to their offensive style as no team in the division has scored more than them.

Five of Atlanta United's 11 goals took place last weekend during a dominant 5-1 victory against Portland Timbers, showcasing their attacking intent for this season.

With the Five Stripes already having a one-point gap ahead of the chasing pack, the team will be hoping to kick on and push even further to extend that.

Team News

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Kevin Molino is going to be missing for the hosts this weekend after undergoing a meniscectomy of his knee which is expected to keep him out of action for around six weeks.

Columbus Crew will also be missing several players due to international duty as Milos Degenek, Eloy Room and Lucas Zelarayan have all been called up to their respective countries.

The visitors are also going to be without a lot of players due to the international break with Derrick Etienne, Luis Abram, Machop Chol, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Ronald Hernandez, Thiago Almada and Miles Robinson all being unavailable.

Osvaldo Alonso is another player that Atlanta United are without as he is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a long-term knee issue.

Columbus Crew possible starting lineup:

Bush; Moreira, Degenek, Quinton; Farsi, Nagbe, Morris, Yeboah; Matan, Cucho, Russell-Rowe

Atlanta United possible starting lineup:

Guzan; Gutman, Sanchez, Sosa, Lenon; Ibarra, Sejdic; Wiley, Fortune, Araujo; Berry

We say: Columbus Crew 0-2 Atlanta United

Columbus Crew might be undefeated at home this season, but Atlanta United have started the campaign in an impressive manner and their attacking qualities could be too much for their opponents.

How to watch

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