Two of the current top four in the MLS Eastern Conference meet on Saturday night as Columbus Crew host New England Revolution at Lower.com Field in Ohio.
Both sides come into this clash after victories in their previous matches, with Columbus defeating DC United and New England winning convincingly against CF Montreal.
Match preview
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Columbus extended their winning run in MLS to three matches last weekend thanks to a 2-0 away win at DC United, with first-half strikes from Lucas Zelarayan and Christian Ramirez ensuring they returned to Ohio with maximum points.
Home wins by the scorelines of 6-1 and 4-0 against Atlanta United and Real Salt Lake respectively proceeded that success at Audi Field - it is safe to say Columbus have found their shooting boots so far this term.
Wilfried Nancy's men have netted 17 goals in their opening seven matches of this campaign, two more than any other side in the entirety of MLS, with the aforementioned Zelarayan managing four in just six appearances.
The Ohio-based club currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference, four points behind FC Cincinnati, who are one of only two sides with their unbeaten status preserved.
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New England have - like their hosts on Saturday - enjoyed some sizeable victories in recent weeks, none more so than their 4-0 thrashing of Montreal last weekend at Gillette Stadium.
Revolution had four different goalscorers on the day against Hernan Losada's men, with Dylan Borrero, ex-Aston Villa man Carles Gil, Bobby Wood and Giacomo Vrioni all getting on the scoresheet.
Bruce Arena's charges are now four games unbeaten since that 4-0 loss at MLS Cup holders Los Angeles FC, collecting a healthy 10 points from their most-recent quartet of fixtures.
Sitting second in the Eastern Conference and third in the Supporters Shield standings, New England fans will be beginning to hope this season could bring the club their first-ever MLS title.
Team News
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Columbus have a pair of players in the medical room due to knee injuries, with both Cucho Hernandez and Kevin Molino expected to be sidelined until early May because of their respective issues.
Luis Diaz has featured just twice in the MLS so far this term for the Crew - the Costa Rican is set to miss this match due to a back injury picked up before the international break.
New England have a host of registered players who have not appeared so far this season due to injuries, with Nacho Gil and Ryan Spaulding both predicted to be out for the majority of this month due to leg knocks.
Youngster Jacob Jackson is yet to make his first-team debut for the Revolution - the 22-year-old is currently sidelined after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in July of last year.
Columbus Crew possible starting lineup:
Schulte; Moreira, Degenek, Vallecilla; Farsi, Morris, Nagbe, Sands; Zelarayan, Matan, Ramirez
New England Revolution possible starting lineup:
Petrovic; Bye, Farrell, Romney, Jones; Borrero, Polster, Blessing, Bou; Wood, Gil
We say: Columbus Crew 3-1 New England Revolution
Columbus have been in scintillating form on home soil in recent weeks and will be confident of extending their unbeaten run in the MLS to four matches against New England on Saturday.
The Revolution have responded excellently since that sobering defeat at LAFC, but we see them losing only their second match this season in Ohio on the weekend.
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Top tip
Carter White
