» Soccer Picks » Chicago Fire vs Columbus Crew Expert MLS Picks Against the Spread 8/31/2019

Chicago Fire vs Columbus Crew Expert MLS Picks Against the Spread 8/31/2019

by Guy Bruhn - 8/27/2019

Saturday, August 31, 2019

MAPFRE Stadium

Nemanja Nikolic and the Chicago Fire (8-9-12, 10th in the Eastern Conference) travel to MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday where they'll take on the Columbus Crew (8-6-15, 11th in the Eastern Conference). The expected starting goalies are Kenneth Kronholm for the Chicago Fire and Eloy Room for the Columbus Crew. The odds on this contest have the Chicago Fire priced at +255 and the Crew are at -109. The over/under is set at 2.75.

The Chicago Fire come into this matchup holding a record of 8 wins, 9 draws, and 12 losses which is good for 10th in the Eastern Conference. So far this season, they have converted a total of 42 goals which has them ranked at 6th in the conference and 8th in MLS. This means that if are going to walk away with a victory, they are going to look at taking care of the ball and controlling possession. Their goal differential is +1, which is good for 12th in MLS. The Chicago Fire will look to get teammates more involved in this game because they have a total of 29 assists which has them ranked at 9th in MLS and 6th in the conference. In the matter of shots on target, they have a total of 137 which has them ranked at 4th in the conference and 7th in MLS. As a group, Chicago has a total of 359 fouls which means they have an average of 12.38 fouls per game. They have a total of 33 points for the 2019 season and they are averaging an attendance of 11,926.

Nemanja Nikolic is one of the players to keep an eye on for the Fire. The forward from Hungary has participated in 26 contests this year and has played a total of 1,623 mins. Up to now, the 31-year-old has scored 11 goals and has had an assist on 0 goals. He holds an average of 62 minutes per game. Nikolic has started 21 contests this year and has racked up 16 fouls over the course of that time. When talking about shots on target, Nikolic has connected on 19 which puts him at 40th in pro soccer and 7th in the East among forwards. C. J. Sapong is another scorer to keep an eye on for the squad from Chicago. The 30-year-old from the United States has racked up 10 goals this season which puts him at 6th in the Eastern Conference among forwards and 13th among all qualified players in pro soccer. He has totaled 2,278 minutes and holds an average of 81 mins per game which puts him at 152nd in pro soccer. Up to now for the season, he has earned 25 shots on target which puts him at 3rd in the Eastern Conference among forwards.

The man in net for the Fire is Kenneth Kronholm from the United States. He is 33 years old and has totaled 1,350 minutes in net for the season. Kronholm is surrendering 1.47 goals per 90 minutes which has him ranked 14th among East goalies and 20th in Major League Soccer. For the season, he has surrendered 22 goals. His save percentage is .627 which has him ranked 15th among East goalies.

The Columbus Crew head into this matchup holding a mark of 8 wins, 6 draws, and 15 defeats which is good for 11th in the Eastern Conference. Thus far in the season, they have racked up a total of 31 goals which is good for 11th in the East and 22nd in the league. This means that if they are going to get away with the victory in this game, they will want to put some goals in the back of the net. Their goal differential is -11, which is good for 20th in the league. The Columbus Crew will be looking to get teammates involved in the game as they currently have a total of 24 assists which is good for 19th in the league and 9th in the East. In the matter of shots on target, they currently have a total of 101 which is good for 10th in the East and 22nd in the league. As a unit, Columbus has earned a total of 353 fouls which has them averaging 12.17 fouls per game. They currently have a total of 30 points for 2019 and they have an average crowd of 14,384.

Gyasi Zardes is one of the best players for the Crew. The forward from the United States has participated in 23 contests in 2019 and has played a total of 2,037 minutes. During that period of time, the 27-year-old has connected on 11 goals and has assisted on 2 goals. He is averaging 89 minutes per game. Zardes has been a starter in 23 contests in 2019 and has a total of 20 fouls over the course of that time. When it comes to shots on target, Zardes has a total of 21 which has him sitting in 29th in pro soccer and 6th in the East among forwards. Pedro Santos is another player to watch out for on the squad from Columbus. The 30-year-old from Portugal has scored 9 goals this season which puts him at 5th in the Eastern Conference among midfielders and 25th among all players in MLS. He has played 2,316 mins and is averaging 83 mins per appearance which puts him at 131st in MLS. For this season, he has connected on 18 shots on target which puts him at 14th in the Eastern Conference among midfielders.

In net for the Crew is Eloy Room from the Netherlands. He is 29 years old and has racked up 630 minutes protecting the net this year. Room is allowing an average of 1.43 goals per 90 minutes which puts him at 12th among East goaltenders and 18th in MLS among goaltenders. During the 2019 campaign, he has allowed 10 goals. He has a save % of .630 which puts him at 14th among East goaltenders.

Who will win tonight's MLS game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Chicago (+255)

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Chicago Fire vs Columbus Crew Expert MLS Picks Against the Spread 8/31/2019

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