In an eagerly anticipated Major League Soccer clash, Columbus Crew will host Nashville SC at Lower.com Field on Wednesday night. With Columbus looking to solidify their top-four position in the Eastern Conference and Nashville aiming to close the gap, this match promises high stakes.
Both teams come into the game on the back of strong recent performances, setting the stage for an exciting encounter between two formidable sides.
Columbus Crew's Current Form
Columbus Crew are currently one of the most formidable teams in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer.
With six victories in their last seven matches, they are on an impressive run of form. The only recent setback came in a close 2-1 defeat away to Inter Miami.
Following that, Columbus Crew achieved a dominating 4-0 home win against Sporting KC and a 5-1 away victory over New England Revolution.
The team has netted an impressive 21 goals in their last seven games, showcasing their offensive prowess.
Nashville SC's Recent Performance
Nashville SC, despite some challenges earlier in the season, have found their rhythm recently.
They achieved back-to-back victories last month for the first time this season, defeating Toronto FC 2-1 and New York City 1-0.
However, their progress was halted by a 2-1 loss to Inter Miami, with both goals conceded just before halftime.
Nonetheless, Nashville has shown resilience and remains optimistic about closing the gap to the top six in the conference.
Team News
Columbus Crew
Coach Wilfried Nancy is likely to stick with a winning formula, making minimal changes to the starting lineup.
Key players Christian Ramirez, Cucho Hernandez, and Diego Rossi, who were instrumental in the team's recent successes, are expected to feature prominently. Jacen Russell-Rowe remains unavailable as he represents Canada at the Copa America.
Predicted Starting XI: Schulte; Moreira, Camacho, Amundsen; Farsi, Zawadzki, Nagbe, Arfsten; Ramirez, Hernandez, Rossi
Nashville SC
Nashville will miss Shaq Moore, Anibal Godoy, and Jacob Shaffelburg, who are on international duty.
Interim head coach Rumba Munthali might consider bringing Brian Anunga back into the midfield to strengthen the team following their recent loss.
Predicted Starting XI: Willis; Bauer, Zimmermann, Maher, Lovitz; Davis, Yearwood; Boyd, Mukhtar, Surridge; Bunbury
Prediction
Given their recent form and home advantage, Columbus Crew are favoured to edge out Nashville SC in a close contest.
Nashville's improving performance on the road makes this a challenging match to predict, but Columbus Crew's offensive firepower might prove decisive.
Nashville 
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