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place
- Camp ScottsMiracle-Gro
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referee
- Victor Rivas
Columbus Crew v Inter Miami Preview
Inter Miami will look to strengthen their position near the top of the MLS Eastern Conference when they travel to ScottsMiracle-Gro Field to face off Columbus Crew on sunday night
The Crew climbed to 13th place with a 2-0 win over CF Montreal last weekend, while Miami drew 2-2 at San Diego FC and remains second in the East on goal difference.
Columbus still has a lot of ground to make up if it wants to make the MLS playoffs for the fourth straight season.
Laurent Courtois’ side are seven points off the play-offs with four teams between them and a place in the post-season, leaving little room for further dropped points.
Columbus has never completed an MLS regular season undefeated against Miami, but a win or tie Sunday would change that record for the first time.
Miami’s recent league form has also been below the standards they set earlier in the campaign.
The Herons have gone four MLS games without a win, drawing their last four games, and three of those games saw them give up a lead in the second half.
That run has seen Miami lose ground to Eastern Conference leader Nashville, though they remain second and have a chance to strengthen their position in the race for home field advantage in the playoffs.
The Major League Soccer Table
Conference of the East
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position 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7: Promotion – MLS (Play Off: Round of 16)
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position 8, 9: Promotion – MLS (Play Off: 1/16 final)
Columbus Crew v Inter Miami Team News
Columbus will again be without Wessam Abou Ali, who continues to recover from a cruciate ligament injury.
Chase Adams, Nicholas Hagen, Steven Moreira, Cole Mrowka and Gonzalo Tapia are also unavailable after being called up for international duty.
Inter Miami will be without Tadeo Allende with a knee injury, while Israel Boatwright remains sidelined with a cruciate ligament problem.
Yannick Bright is suspended after picking up enough yellow cards.
Miami also has several players out with their respective national teams, including Alexander Shaw, Dayne St. Clair, Daniel Pinter, Loven’s Delinois, Matias Galarza, Rodrigo De Paul, Fricio Caicedo and German Berterame.
Expected lineups for Columbus Crew v Inter Miami
Columbus Crew: Schulte; Farsi, Bailly, Zawadzki, Amundsen; Lennon, Gomes, Habroune, Mendez; Rodriguez, Martinez.
Inter Miami: New Rivers; Mura, Micael, Falcon, Reguilon; Ayala, Casemiro, Morales; Plambeck, Suárez, Silvetti.
ℹ️ The official lineups are not yet available. They are usually announced 20-40 minutes before kick-off, depending on the competition.
Columbus Crew v Inter Miami recent form and stats
- Columbus is seven points below the current MLS playoff line.
- The Crew have lost three of their last four home league games.
- Columbus has dropped 19 points in seven MLS games in which they scored first this season.
- Miami has tied its last four MLS games.
- Miami has scored in each of its last six MLS games.
- Inter Miami have won three of their last four away meetings with Columbus.
- Lionel Messi leads MLS with 20 goals and 13 assists.
Where to watch Columbus Crew v Inter Miami: TV broadcasts and online
Columbus Crew v Inter Miami can be watched live in the UK on Apple TV. The match will start at 12:00 BST on Monday 28 September, with the match starting at 19:00 ET on Sunday 27 September.
Prediction Columbus Crew – Inter Miami
Neither team arrives in particularly strong league form, with Columbus struggling to close the gap on the play-off spots and Miami looking to end a run of four straight draws.
The Crew have home advantage and are coming off a win in Montreal, but Miami’s record in this game gives them reason to be confident.
Columbus Crew
1-1
Inter Miami