Columbus Crew will be out to prolong the race for the MLS Supporters' Shield in midweek when they face Inter Miami at Lower.com Field in the early hours of Thursday.
The hosts are in second place in the Eastern Conference standings with 57 points, trailing their upcoming opponents by eight, though they do have a game in hand on the Herons.
Match preview
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Columbus Crew have been in impressive form since the start of last month, a period during which they lost just one of their last seven league games, lifted the Leagues Cup, and narrowly missed out on the Campeones Cup, losing on penalties to Club America.
That run got them right back in the title race and was a significant turnaround from the struggles they faced between March and May this year when they failed to win seven in a row, drawing five and losing two.
However, a 2-2 draw against DC United on Sunday has put them in a tough spot, as a loss here will mean that Inter Miami will move 11 points clear at the top of the standings and claim the Supporters' Shield, with the Crew having just three games to play after this one.
Nevertheless, Wilfried Nancy's side did beat the Herons 3-2 in their most recent meeting during the Leagues Cup, and will fancy their chances of getting a result here given their impressive recent record at home, where they have lost just once in their last seven league matches.
The Crew's major strength this season has been their defence, which has conceded the fewest goals in the league (33), and they will need another solid display here to contain the ultra-attacking Inter team.
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Meanwhile, with a seven-point advantage over second-placed LA Galaxy, and matches against eighth-placed Toronto and second-bottom New England Revolution to come after this, it seems unlikely that Inter Miami will be denied the Supporters' Shield this season.
However, the Herons will likely love nothing more than to put the race to bed in midweek, against their closest rivals in the Eastern Conference and the side that ended their Leagues Cup title defence.
If Miami manage to win this match, it will mark the second title Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has won since arriving in the MLS and would also be the 45th official piece of silverware in his incredible career.
Messi returned to action for the Herons following an injury to his right ankle on September 15 against Philadelphia Union and immediately notched up two goals in that match to lead his side to a 3-1 win, while he also scored their only goal in the 1-1 draw at home to Charlotte over the weekend.
This match will also be the first time the Argentine will face the Crew, as Miami had played both regular season games against Columbus by the time Messi signed for them on July 15 last year, and he had already departed for the Copa America when these two met in June this year.
Team News
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Columbus Crew will enter this crucial match with two confirmed absentees in Sean Zawadzki and Evan Bush, both of whom are ruled out for the rest of this season with an abdominal and arm injury respectively.
Diego Rossi netted a brace when the Crew beat the Herons in the Leagues Cup in August, and he will almost certainly partner the club's top-scorer Cucho Hernandez in leading the line in midweek.
Inter Miami, on the other hand, will have to make do without centre-back Tomas Aviles for this top-of-the-table clash, after the Argentine defender crossed the yellow card threshold against Charlotte last time out.
Aviles will therefore be forced into a watching brief here, alongside injury absentees David Martinez (groin), Carlos Dos Santos (arm), Leonardo Afonso (groin) and Nicolas Freire (cruciate ligament tear).
Columbus Crew possible starting lineup:
Schulte; Moreira, Camacho, Amundsen; Farsi, Matan, Nagbe, Arfsten, Russell-Rowe; Rossi, Hernandez
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
Callender; Weigandt, Allen, Busquets, Alba; Redondo, Bright, Gressel; Messi, Suarez, Gomez
We say: Columbus Crew 2-2 Inter Miami
Inter Miami have been the best team in the MLS this season, and their away record has been excellent, with only two defeats conceded in 15 matches on the road.
However, Columbus will not give up this race without a fight, and while the Herons are likely to go on to lift the Supporters' Shield this year, we feel that the Crew will force them to wait at least another couple of days until they face Toronto to do so.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
