The Columbus Crew returns to Lower.com Field on Saturday against Inter Miami. This comes after a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Charlotte FC last weekend and a 1-0 win in the U.S. Open Cup against Indy Eleven.

During the loss to Charlotte, the Black & Gold suffered a first blow in the 11th minute, when wing back Will Sands was substituted out for Yaw Yeboah due to a torn ACL injury that will sideline him for the rest of the year. The Crew acquired Malte Amundsen from New York City FC in a trade, who could make his debut against Miami. Striker Cucho Hernandez started his first game back against Indy Eleven after missing six games due to a knee injury and will be available.

Inter currently sits in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after opening league play with two wins. However, club captain and starting midfielder Gregore went off injured during the team’s match against NYCFC and Miami hasn’t played to the level they started the season with, going 0-4-1 in the last five matches in all competitions.

Can the Crew rebound against a struggling Inter side? The Massive Report Staff gives their predictions for Saturday’s game.

Grant Miller

The Crew returns to Lower.com Field this Saturday for a matchup against one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. The Black & Gold have come back down to Earth a little bit after running off three straight wins earlier this year. Saturday provides an ideal situation where the Crew can find the team’s ideal way of playing at home against a struggling Miami team.

Good teams usually take care of business and situations like this. The only bit of tactical difficulty may come from the consequence of playing a competitive game a few days before. The U.S. Open Cup victory required some first-team players, most notably Cucho Hernandez. Will Hernandez play Saturday? It would be great if he did! But, a game like this shouldn’t require that much firepower.

Columbus Crew 2 Inter Miami 0

Drew McDaniel

The Columbus Crew has had difficulties scoring in the last three matches, scoring two goals en route to a 1-1-1 record,, including the U.S. Open Cup match. Cucho Hernandez will get the start and finally get off the mark for Columbus against Miami. While the score will be deadlocked for the majority of the second half, the Crew will score a late winner. Columbus has piled on sustained pressure at the end of each game and will find a way to unlock the defense to sink Miami further in the standings. 

Columbus Crew 2 Inter Miami 1

Nathan Townsend

The Crew looks to bounce back from their first loss in the past five games last week, and this Saturday’s match against the struggling Inter Miami seems to be the perfect opportunity to do so. With both teams playing on Wednesday, the Crew’s depth and overall talent advantage should lead to a relatively easy win as Cucho Hernandez bags a brace and Lucas Zelarayan contributes a third.

Columbus Crew 3 Inter Miami 0

Patrick Murphy

I’m not feeling the way the Crew has played lately. Teams have started to figure things out against Wilfried Nancy’s side after a nice run of games against struggling teams. Inter Miami is another struggling team but one with a lot of talent.

I do like that Cucho Hernandez is back and I expect him to start in this game. If he is used more in the penalty box than roaming across the attacking line, I think the Black & Gold will be more successful. We’ll see if Wilfried Nancy agrees.

I’ll take Columbus to win this one but I think it will be tight.

Columbus Crew 2 Inter Miami 1

Collin Johnson

Last week’s match in Charlotte is what I thought Saturday’s match against Inter Miami would be, a trap game against a desperate team struggling for a win. The Crew played a pretty rough first half against Charlotte but created enough chances over the course of the two halves that the team should have come away with a draw. What’s more frightening is that Charlotte was the second straight team, after the New England Revolution, to isolate center back Milos Degenek and play long, direct plays right at him. Degenek held up in both matches but this will be the plan of attack to beat Columbus until the team responds to that strategy. 

Meanwhile, Miami still can’t seem to score. I’m not backing them to change this trend on a road match even if the Black & Gold feature a heavily-rotated side in a three-match week. Inter similarly played a mid-week match and was forced to fight for 120 minutes and stoppage times to grab a win. As tired as the Crew will be, Miami will be just as exhausted. 

Columbus Crew 2 Inter Miami 0

Caleb Denorme

Facing the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference at home should be a win for Columbus. The Crew has had a lackluster run of form in the past two games against MLS opposition, but I think the Black & Gold will pull out a win over Inter Miami. With Cucho Hernandez coming back for 45 minutes against Indy Eleven, look for him to possibly come off the bench in the second half to spark a Crew team that has looked flat. It’ll be interesting to see how head coach Wilfried Nancy wants to utilize Hernandez and Christian Ramirez together, and if a change of formation is coming with the two strikers back healthy.

Columbus Crew 2 Inter Miami 0

Adam Miller

The Black & Gold return to Columbus after a disappointing loss to Charlotte last week. We will see what the Crew look like without wing back Will Sands and how head coach Wilfired Nancy adjusts. Miami will pose a tough test but I expect the Crew to take care of business at home. Lucas Zelarayan will score off a free kick in the first half before Christian Ramirez caps off the victory in the second half. 

Columbus Crew 2 Inter Miami 0

Ryan Schmitt

The Crew returns to Columbus in a game that should be interesting. It’ll be the first true look at how the team will respond to the Will Sands injury. While Inter Miami has shown bright spots within the team, they haven’t been living up to that energetic soccer that was once played. This should be a game the Crew can use to explore different tactics. The Crew will take this game 3-1 and it’ll be a step in the right direction for the Crew after a hiccup in Charlotte.

Columbus Crew 3 Inter Miami 1