The Chicago Fire (4 wins, 9 losses, 5 draws) welcome the Columbus Crew (5-5-7) to Soldier Field Saturday. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. Below, we preview the Chicago Fire vs. Columbus Crew odds and lines, and make our best MLS bets, picks and predictions.
It has been a disappointing start to the season for both clubs, each outside of playoff position in the Eastern Conference. As the Crew, they have drawn 3 of their last 4 and 4 of their last 8. They’re 2-2-5 on the road.
Columbus is led by 2021 All-Star M Lucas Zelarayán. He’s 1 of 4 players with 3 or more goals for the Crew. In 17 games, Columbus has scored 20 and allowed 18.
Chicago has been one of the few teams worse at scoring, and it’s the only side that averaged under a goal per game. The Fire have scored 16 goals in 18 matches. They’re led by former Swiss star M Xherdan Shaqiri.
Shaqiri and F Kacper Przybyłko are the only players that have scored more than 1 goal for the club this season. That said, Columbus is 3-2-3 at home with their main struggles on the road.
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Chicago Fire vs. Columbus Crew odds, lines, picks and predictions
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:25 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Chicago Fire +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Columbus Crew +265 (bet $100 to win $265) | Draw +235
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: +102 | U: -125)
[tipico]
Prediction
Columbus Crew 1, Chicago Fire 0
Money line (ML)
BET TIE OR COLUMBUS CREW -150.
While betting on Columbus outright is risky, betting on the Crew to win or a draw is a completely different story. Columbus has only lost 2 games on the road, winning or drawing 7.
Against the East’s worst team, this is a wager worth considering. Also, their lone 2 road losses were to Philadelphia and New York (NYCFC) – both teams in the conference’s top 4.
Chicago has won 3 of 8 home games with 2 being against DC United and Sporting KC, who are both within the bottom 3 of their respective conference.
The Fire struggle to score and only have 1 multi-goal home performance. Chicago has lost 8 of its last 11, so it isn’t necessarily on top of its game right now, either.
While it is pricey, this is still a strong value.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET UNDER 2.5 (-125).
Neither of these teams has shown consistent attacking prowess. Columbus has gone Under this total in 5 of its last 7.
The Crew had a stretch earlier in the season with 4 straight scoreless matches and have failed to score in 2 of their last 3. They averaged just 1.18 goals per game and allow 1.06, so they have a competent defense as well.
The Fire have a similar story but even worse offensive performances.
They’ve gone Under in 3 of their last 4. In the Fire’s matches against the only other 2 East teams (Philly and NYCFC) to allow under 20 goals this season, there was 1 combined goal.
Given both teams have struggled to score, I’ll take the Under with ease here.
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