Charlotte FC (13 wins, 17 losses, 2 draws) welcomes the Columbus Crew (10-7-15) to Bank of America Stadium Wednesday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we preview Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Charlotte FC vs. Columbus Crew odds, and make our best MLS bets, picks and predictions.
Charlotte has played well in its inaugural season and was in the playoff hunt for quite some time. Despite being 4 points behind the 7th-seeded Inter Miami, if it wins this game it could still technically get in.
Charlotte has played far better at home this season, going 10-6-0. It’s led by Polish F Karol Świderski, who has 10 goals on the season.
The Crew are currently in the 8th spot in the East. They have just 10 wins and won’t win the tiebreaker over Orlando City or Inter Miami, both of which also have 45 points on 32 games played.
Columbus is led by M Lucas Zelarayán who has 9 goals on the season. The midseason addition of F Cucho, who also had 9 goals, has been huge as he’s provided a spark to an otherwise lifeless attack.
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Charlotte FC vs. Columbus Crew odds
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:11 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Charlotte FC +155 (bet $100 to win $155) | Columbus Crew +155 (bet $100 to win $155) | Draw +200
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: +115 | U: -145)
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Prediction
Columbus Crew 2, Charlotte FC 0
Moneyline (ML)
BET COLUMBUS CREW (+155).
Simply put — the Crew have something to play for. Their playoff lives are on the line. Charlotte has won 3 straight games but has lost 7 of its last 12 and is 2-3-0 at home over its last 5.
The addition of Cucho has paid huge dividends for Columbus. While it has won just 2 of its last 6 contests, it has had more expected goals than its opponent in 4 of its last 6.
The Crew are going to be the side with more reason to compete, and that should propel the motivation. At this value, I’d play them to win outright.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET UNDER 2.5 (-145).
This game will kick off without a 6th of the game. Having been made up from an earlier weather-delayed match, the score will resume 0-0 after about 15 minutes.
The Crew have gone under this total in 3 of their last 6 games and in only 1 of their last 2 games has either team had more than 2 expected goals.
They allow just 1.12 goals per game, the second-lowest rate in the East. Charlotte, on the other hand, has scored just 42 all season, a low rate as well. It has gone under this total in 3 of its last 5.
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