Atlanta to Narrowly Edge the Defending Champions Following Heinze’s Dismissal
Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew - 24/07/2021
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This Saturday night sees the MLS action continue as Atlanta United take on the MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in what is a battle of 10th versus sixth in the Eastern Conference.
The hosts in Georgia will be managed by interim manager, Rob Valentino, after the former Real Madrid defender Gabriel Heinze was sacked by the club after only two wins in their opening 14 matches - this is the worst start Atlanta have ever made.
At the same time, it has all but wiped out their chances of topping the Eastern division, but a playoff shout could still be on the cards, post-Heinze.
Atlanta haven’t won since they beat CF Montreal 1-0 back in May, when Marcelino Moreno scored in the 94th minute in stunning fashion.
Since this win, the Georgia outfit have gone nine matches without a victory and following their disappointing 1-1 draw with Cincinnati last time out, the club now sit 16 points off the top of the table and a worrying six off the playoff spots.
However, it hasn’t exactly been plain sailing for defending MLS Cup champions either. The Crew have won just one of their last six games, which has forced them to drop out of the top spots and into sixth, but this still bodes well for their playoff hopes.
This win from the past six games came in a narrow 2-1 victory against New York City as they opened up their new home stadium, the Lower.com Field.
The new ground hasn’t brought in any new luck, however, and if the Crew are to defend their MLS Cup trophy in the playoffs, they will need to start picking up the points against the teams lower down once again.
In the last meeting between Atlanta and the Crew, the current MLS Cup holders edged the 2018 champions with a 2-1 win, where Lucas Zelarayan and Gyasi Zardes both bagged.
Based on form now, however, this one is as close as could be, with both sides recently putting their playoff chances in doubt with some torrid displays.
Although, with Atlanta hosting and the addition of a new manager, this could bring out something in the home side’s players, and they could get the job done here.
The defending champions, on the other hand, must win themselves and despite just three defeats - the second least inside the Eastern playoffs - with just 15 goals from 14 games, it’s tough to back them away from home.
Home team
Away team
Pred
Correct score
Avg. goals
Weather conditions
Coef.
Score
Live
coef.
Us1
333631
X
1 - 1
2.63
30°
3.50
2.07
3.50
3.40
-1
1
1
0 - 1(0 - 0)
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