Seattle v Columbus Bet Builder Stats & Predictions
Seattle v Columbus
Kick Off: 22:00, Sunday 6th July
Competition: MLS
Watch Live: Discovery+
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Seattle welcome Columbus to Lumen Field fresh from their involvement in the Club World Cup. Seattle didn’t manage to win a game at the inaugural edition of the competition, but will have enjoyed brushing shoulders with elite sides like PSG and Atletico Madrid. They’ve already returned to MLS action, claiming a 2-0 win over Austin.
Columbus are very much in with a chance of topping the Eastern Conference, which would give them a more fortunate path in the playoffs. They sit fourth in the league, just three points off top spot.
Match Stats: Not much to split the two sides
It can sometimes be difficult to compare sides across the Eastern and Western Conferences due to the subtle differences in quality present in each league. The Eastern Conference has produced a few more overall winners in recent seasons, so it is the slightly stronger division.
However, this game should be really well contested and close fought – Columbus have the slight advantage, seeing as they’ve only lost three of their 20 games in the MLS this season but they will have to dismantle Seattle’s strong home record. Seattle have only lost one of their nine home games in the MLS this season.
As we can expect this to be quite a closely run affair, backing BTTS looks a smart choice for this MLS clash. Leaning towards Columbus to at least get a point here also seems like a decent angle with the form they carry into this fixture (three straight wins).
Predictions –
- Match Result: Columbus or Draw
- BTTS
Shot Stats: Diego Rossi and Albert Rusnak the standouts
Diego Rossi has been one of the most impressive and impactful players in the MLS this season. He’s registered 12 goal contributions across his 19 appearances in the MLS this season (9 goals, 3 assists). He’s recorded three goal contributions across his last five appearances, playing in a role just in behind the main striker for Columbus.
Diego Rossi can be chosen to lead the line for Columbus, which was the case in the most recent head-to-head meeting between these sides, which saw Rossi have two shots as Seattle ran out 4-0 winners, though Columbus had been reduced to 10 men.
Seattle’s player to watch here is Albert Rusnak, the 30-year-old netted a hat trick in Seattle’s 4-0 win over Columbus in the most recent clash between the sides.
Rusnak has registered 10 goal contributions across his 14 starts for Seattle in the MLS this season (7 goals, 3 assists). He’ll be eager to add to his strong personal record against Columbus and assist Seattle in claiming back-to-back wins after they bowed out of the Club World Cup.
Predictions –
- Diego Rossi to score/assist
- Albert Rusnak 2+ shots
- Albert Rusnak 1+ shots on target
Card Stats: Not too many fireworks
Columbus have actually picked up fewer yellow cards than any other side across both Conferences in the MLS this season (25 -1.25 per game). Seattle aren’t too much further ahead in this ranking with 32 cautions received across their 19 fixtures (1.68 per game).
These numbers would suggest that we could be in for quite a timid affair here, at least when it comes to the referee’s involvement in dishing out cards. The most recent head-to-head meeting between the sides only produced two cards, one for each side; the second of these cautions was a sending off for Columbus goalkeeper Abraham Romero.
Predictions –
- Under 4.5 cards
By: @AndysBetClubUK
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Emilee Chinn / Getty Images
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