Columbus Crew vs. Inter Miami CF September 13 Betting Odds And Analysis

Everything was going great on the road for the Columbus Crew on Friday night until the 89th minute. They led second-place Montreal 2-0 before a goal in the 89th minute and another four minutes into stoppage time that resulted in a 2-2 draw. 

Three points would’ve put the Crew in fifth place; instead, they sit in seventh with five games remaining.

The first of those games is another road game Tuesday night at Inter Miami, with kickoff set for 8:00 p.m on ESPN+ and Bally Sports Ohio. These teams have met three times in their history, with Columbus winning at home 1-0 on August 31. Last year, the Crew won 4-0 at home but lost 1-0 in Miami.

Want to bet on the Columbus Crew and other MLS teams? Visit betJACK Training Camp to get started today!

Crew Need To Finish

Maybe it is just a Montreal jinx, but Friday’s game is the second time the Crew have blown late leads against the Canadian squad this season. 

Last time they lost 2-1, they did save a point. Overall, the Crew have dropped 17 points from a leading position this season as the defense has let them down late. 

The Crew held on to beat Miami 1-0 in August on a goal by Luis Diaz. Diaz won’t be available to coach Caleb Porter on Tuesday as he picked up a 76th-minute red card in Montreal and is suspended. Look for Artur to return to the starting lineup in his place, teaming with Lucas Zelarayan and Derrick Etienne Jr. in the attacking midfield.

Those three will support Cucho, who assisted on Zelarayan’s goal in Montreal. Zelarayan has nine goals and 10 assists on the season and needs one more goal to become the third player in team history with a 10/10 season. He missed the first Miami game as a late scratch.

Cucho has eight goals and two assists in his 13 games since joining the team from Watford. His presence in front of Zelarayan has given the Crew a new dimension for attack, and they have capitalized. Etienne has six goals and five assists, while Darlington Nagbe has three goals and one assist.

Goalkeeper Eloy Room leads the team with 2,643 minutes played and joins Nagbe as the only players to have started every game this season. He has allowed 33 goals and made 90 saves while keeping ten clean sheets.

Columbus is 3-2 with nine draws on the road this season. Overall they have a +6 goal differential but have scored only 39 goals, ninth in the Eastern Conference. Seven teams will make the playoffs, and the Crew have a three-point lead on New England with Miami five points back.

Miami Getting Desperate

Phil Neville and David Beckham’s squad sit in ninth place with five games to play. If they are going to make a move, getting three points against one of the teams battling ahead of them is a great place to start. The Herons have an 8-3-3 home record this season but overall have a -13 goal differential with only 36 goals scored.

Striker Gonzalo Higuain is in great form for Inter Miami as he scored again on Saturday and leads the team with 10 goals. However, of the eight games in which the Argentine has scored this season, Miami has won just once. They have lost five of those games and drawn two, averaging just 0.63 points per game when he scores.

Miami will be glad to be back home after losing three straight road games. They fell at the Red Bulls 3-1, at Columbus 1-0, and at Chicago 3-1 since winning at home on August 20. They have won their last two home games and haven’t lost in South Florida since July 13.

Miami has allowed at least two goals in four of their last six games and have not posted a shutout since May 22. Nick Marsman likely starts in goal with DeAndre Yedlin, Kieran Gibbs, Ryan Sailor, and Chris McVey in defense. Miami tends to commit a lot of fouls, so Zelerayan should have chances on set pieces to give the Crew good looks at goal.

Betting Analysis

- Columbus Crew (+210) moneyline

- Inter Miami (+132) moneyline

- Draw (+225) moneyline

-Total: Over 2.5 (-120), Under 2.5 (-105)

Columbus has gone eight straight games without a loss, one shy of the team record set in 2004. They have led in six of those eight games but won only three as their defense has been shaky late in games.

They will need an all-90-minute effort to take down Higuain and the Herons and take all three points back home in a very winnable game.