For the first time in MLS history, St Louis City and the Columbus Crew will face each other in the regular season, with that contest being the final match on Sunday at Energizer Park.
St Louis were blanked 2-0 by Sporting Kansas City last weekend, their third successive defeat, while Columbus climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference table with a 2-1 triumph at home to CF Montreal.
Match preview
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It is early into the Olof Mellberg era at St. Louis City, and we are seeing a team that sustains a lot of pressure, which seems to impact their ability to put together dangerous transitional moments.
Mellberg's side have the fourth-lowest average possession (44.7) and have netted the fewest goals in the Western Conference (four).
They have failed to score in three consecutive MLS encounters, equalling their longest run without scoring in this competition.
On the opposite end, this team have conceded just once in three home contests this year but have only won one match at Energizer Park in the regular season (1-0 over the Seattle Sounders).
A defeat this weekend would match their longest losing run at home since entering the league in 2023 (two), with this club previously suffering consecutive defeats in St Louis in May 2024.
Since their 3-1 victory over the Chicago Fire in May of last year, St Louis have failed to win their last five regular-season affairs against Eastern Conference opposition.
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It was another close one, but the Columbus Crew did the job in the end, winning a second successive MLS contest by a 2-1 margin.
Wilfried Nancy's men are just a point below the Vancouver Whitecaps in the early Supporters' Shield race and are one of only two teams in the league without a defeat so far, with the other being Inter Miami.
Opposite to how St Louis plays, the Crew do their damage through possession and free-flowing improvisation when on the ball, making it difficult for opposing teams to plan against them.
The Crew have the third-highest possession rate in MLS (57.1%) but also have the third-lowest expected goals ratio in the Eastern Conference (8.7).
Columbus have points in eight consecutive league fixtures away from home, keeping a clean sheet in half of those instances.
In their only previous competitive meeting with St Louis City, the Crew won 2-1 in the 2023 Leagues Cup, scoring twice in the first half-hour of that game.
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Team News
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There were a handful of St Louis players unavailable against SKC including Tomas Totland, who has a sore hamstring, while Jayden Reid is dealing with a foot issue and Jannes Horn has a thigh strain.
A week ago, Chris Durkin was sidelined with a knee injury, Roman Burki had a hand issue and Rasmus Alm sat out with a hip problem.
On the Columbus side, Darlington Nagbe was sidelined with a knee issue last week, Nicholas Hagen is recovering from a sore hand, Lassi Lappalainen sat out due to a hip problem and Rudy Camacho did not feature because of tightness in his thigh.
Former St Louis City midfielder Aziel Jackson scored his first goal of the campaign for the Crew, with their other strike versus Montreal coming courtesy of Canadian Jacen Russell-Rowe.
St Louis City possible starting lineup:
Lundt, Yaro, Kessler, Nilsson; Watts, Morales, Hartel, Hiebert; Ostrak, Pompeu; Becher
Columbus Crew possible starting lineup:
Schulte; Moreira, Cheberko, Amundsen; Farsi, Chambost, Zawadzki, Habroune; Jackson; Russell-Rowe, Rossi
We say: St Louis City 0-2 Columbus Crew
Columbus are one of the best in the league at making in-game adjustments, which should come in handy against a St Louis side that get pinned far too deep in their end and eventually seem to pay the price.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
