Columbus Crew vs. Philadelphia Union – MLS, November 1, 2020

Philadelphia extended their lead at the top of the Western Conference with a 2-1 victory over Chicago Fire on Wednesday, but Jim Curtin’s men face a much tougher test this weekend.

Columbus welcomes the Union to Ohio on Sunday, November 1. The Crew currently sits third in the table, although the nine-point gap between them and Philly underlines just how good Curtin’s side has been this year.

Read on to see my Columbus Crew vs. Philadelphia Union prediction and betting pick.

Columbus (2.25) has the home advantage on Sunday, and the bookies have recognized that. However, the Crew has not been at their best in recent weeks, winning just one of their last seven outings.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia (2.70) heads into this clash on a six-game unbeaten streak, with five victories coming in the space of three weeks. With that in mind, it is difficult to ignore the high price for the away win here.

Earlier in the season, it looked as though Columbus would be challenging for the Supporters’ Shield this year. A six-game unbeaten streak across August and September put the Crew in a seriously strong position, but three wins in their last ten outings have seen the Ohio club fall by the wayside.

Following a poor 1-1 draw with Houston Dynamo last weekend, Caleb Porter’s side suffered a hugely disappointing 1-0 defeat to DC United on Wednesday. Columbus only managed one shot on target at Audi Field, despite edging the possession.

The Crew is still set for a top-six finish, but Porter will be looking for his team to gather some momentum before the next phase of the competition. The Black & Gold is clearly feeling a bit dejected at the moment, and that is not a good sign with the play-offs just around the corner.

First place feels so good.

Now we shift to Columbus on Sunday ?#DOOP pic.twitter.com/FnPTL4GisR

— X – PhilaUnion (@PhilaUnion) October 29, 2020

On the flip side, dejected is certainly not a word that can be used to describe Philadelphia right now. The U has only lost one of their last 12 matches and heads into Sunday’s clash on a three-game winning streak.

After seeing off New England Revolution a fortnight ago, the Pennsylvania club crushed Toronto 5-0 last weekend. Sergio Santos bagged a hat-trick against the Reds, while Mark McKenzie and Jamiro Monteiro completed the rout.

Last time out, it was Kacper Przybylko and Cory Burke who got the job done. The Union edged Chicago Fire in midweek, with Przybylko taking his tally to seven goals and six assists for the season.

There is now clear daylight between Philly and second-place Toronto. Curtin’s men have also picked up a whopping nine points more than Western Conference frontrunners Seattle Sounders.

Columbus claimed a narrow 1-0 victory when these two sides met back at the beginning of September. But a lot has changed since then. Philadelphia has only lost one of their subsequent 12 outings, while the Crew has won just four of their previous 11.

I’m confident that Philly will gain their revenge this weekend with a relatively straightforward victory. After all, the odds for the away win seem too good to miss.