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The MLS resumes with a fresh set of fixtures as Columbus Crew welcome Toronto FC to the Historic Crew Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts head into the game fresh off a 2-1 win over New York City FC, while the visitors were beaten by Orlando City last time out.
Columbus Crew ended their two-game losing streak last Sunday as they beat New York City FC at Red Bull Arena.
Lucas Zelarayán put on a show as he grabbed a second-half brace to cancel out Ismael Tajouri-Shradi’s first-half opener and hand Columbus a 2-1 victory.
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With eight points from six games, Caleb Porter’s side currently occupy 17th place in the MLS table, three points ahead of Saturday’s visitors.
Toronto FC, on the other hand, suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Orlando City last time out.
In a cagey affair at the Exploria Stadium, Tesho Akindele scored the only goal of the game just 12 minutes after kick-off.
Chris Armas’ men have now picked up four points from six games, falling to three defeats and claiming two draws in that time.
This poor run of results has seen Toronto FC drop deep into the bottom half of the table. They sit in 25th place, just one point ahead of rock-bottom Cincinnati.
Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC Head-To-Head
With 14 wins from 39 meetings, Columbus Crew head into this game as the slightly better side in this fixture. The visitors have picked up 12 wins, while 15 games have ended in draws.
However, Toronto FC are currently on a three-game winning streak against Columbus Crew. Both sides last faced off on 13 May, when Toronto claimed a hard-fought 2-1 win.
Columbus Crew Form Guide (all competitions): L-W-L-L-W
Toronto FC Form Guide (all competitions): L-L-W-D-L
Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC Team News
Columbus Crew
The hosts have a relatively long absentee list heading into this game. Milton Valenzuela (thigh), Perry Kitchen (thigh), Marlon Hairston (knee), Aidan Morris (ACL) and Kevin Molino (hamstring) will all miss the game due to injuries.
Injured: Milton Valenzuela, Perry Kitchen, Marlon Hairston, Aidan Morris, Kevin Molin
Suspended: None
Toronto FC
The visitors have their own injury woes as Alejandro Pozuelo (thigh), Erickson Gallardo (groin), Julian Dunn (hip) and Ifunanyachi Achara (ACL) are out injured.
Injured: Alejandro Pozuelo, Erickson Gallardo, Julian Dunn, Ifunanyachi Achara
Suspended: None
Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC Predicted XI
Columbus Crew Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Eloy Room; Waylon Francis, Jonathan Mensah, Josh Williams, Harrison Afful; Artur, Darlington Nagbe; Luis Diaz, Lucas Zelarayan, Pedro Santos; Gyasi Zardes
Toronto FC Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Alex Bono; Richie Laryea, Chris Mavinga, Omar Gonzalez, Auro; Michael Bradley, Ralph Priso-Mbongue; Nick DeLeon, Ayo Akinola, Patrick Mullins; Jozy Altidore
Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC Prediction
While Toronto have had a decent start to the new season, Columbus Crew have mostly struggled for results. The visitors head into this tie with a more experienced squad and we predict they will continue their recent dominance over the hosts to claim a slender win.
Prediction: Columbus Crew 1-2 Toronto FC
