Columbus Crew will be looking to strengthen their hold of a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference table when they host Nashville SC on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, the visitors to Lower.com Field sit just seven points adrift of their hosts, albeit having played two games more.
Match preview
Despite the distance that they sit adrift of the Eastern Conference leaders, Columbus Crew are the form team in the division right now.
Six victories have been posted from their last seven fixtures, the only reverse coming at the home of frontrunners Inter Miami by a 2-1 scoreline.
Since that defeat, a 4-0 triumph has been recorded at home to Sporting KC and a 5-1 success came away at New England Revolution.
A total of 21 goals have been netted in their last seven games. In the previous 11 matches, Wilfried Nancy's side had scored just the 13.
Last season's MLS playoff winners are looking far more like the side that lifted that trophy at the back end of 2023, yet they cannot afford any complacency versus a team who will also feel that they are on the up.
Up until recently, Nashville SC had not recorded back-to-back victories in MLS all season, but that was achieved in the space of three days last month.
After a 2-1 success at Toronto FC, Nashville came through by a 1-0 scoreline against New York City to move the club into the top half of the Eastern Conference.
However, interim head coach Rumba Munthali witnessed his team succumb to Inter Miami last time out, losing 2-1 having conceded twice just before half time.
Despite suffering just their second defeat in nine league outings, there is optimism at the Coyotes that they have turned a corner and are capable of closing down the six-point gap to the top six.
Columbus Crew Major League Soccer form:
Columbus Crew form (all competitions):
Nashville SC Major League Soccer form:
Team News
Barring any fitness issues, Nancy may see no reason to make any changes to a Columbus Crew XI that started a comprehensive win last time out.
The front three of Christian Ramirez, Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi contributed two goals and five assists between them before they were rested.
Jacen Russell-Rowe remains unavailable for selection courtesy of representing Canada at the Copa America.
Shaq Moore, Anibal Godoy and Jacob Shaffelburg are all not available for Nashville due to being on international duty.
If Munthali is to make an alteration to the side that pushed Inter Miami, Brian Anunga could be restored to the engine room ahead of Sean Davis.
Columbus Crew possible starting lineup:
Schulte; Moreira, Camacho, Amundsen; Farsi, Zawadzki, Nagbe, Arfsten; Ramirez, Hernandez, Rossi
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Bauer, Zimmermann, Maher, Lovitz; Davis, Yearwood; Boyd, Mukhtar, Surridge; Bunbury
We say: Columbus Crew 2-1 Nashville SC
With both teams having won two of their last three games, this is a difficult one to predict, particularly when Nashville have started to impress on their travels. However, we are backing Columbus Crew to come through in a tight game, perhaps through a late goal.
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