Following a disappointing result against Orlando City, which saw the Columbus Crew concede three times in the final 20 minutes of the match, the Crew returns to Lower.com Stadium to face the Chicago Fire FC for a midweek match. It’s a game in which, if things go their way, the Black & Gold can clinch a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs.

In the previous meeting between these two teams, former Columbus midfielder Lucas Zelerayan scored in the third minute of stoppage time to win the game 2-1, and bring three points back home. The Crew will need a different kind of match in this match.

The Fire currently sit 10th in the Eastern Conference, just two points outside of a play-in spot in the playoffs. Just before the previous match, Chicago fired the team’s manager and sat in 14th place. Along with a coaching change comes significant injuries for the Fire, making a late playoff push even more impressive. In the last match, the Fire had five players out injured, headlined by strikers Chris Mueller and Kacper Przybylko, who have 15 goal contributions between the two of them.

Can the Crew bounce back against the Chicago Fire? Our Massive Report staff makes predictions for the Crew’s match against the Fire.

Drew McDaniel

The Columbus Crew needs to win this match. It might not change the MLS standings, but they need it to bounce back from a disastrous letdown in Orlando. They will also need it from a rotated squad, as the Crew will look to get a point or three in Dallas on Saturday. As we have seen, the Crew do not always travel well, so three points against a beatable Chicago side is much needed. The Columbus attack is still humming at a high pace and Chicago does not boast a super dangerous attack. Maybe we will even see a Josh Williams sighting! This will be a game the Black and Gold win 2-1. There will be anxiety as the game ends due to blown leads but Columbus will hold strong. The highlight moment will be when Kei Kamara scores against his previous club to set the league record for career goals scored. 

Columbus Crew 2 Chicago Fire 1

Caleb Denorme

This is a bounce-back game for the Crew in which they must prove they can defend. After the colossal defensive meltdown against Orlando, the Black & Gold will face the 10th place Chicago Fire. I think Columbus will win this one to get back in the win column but the Crew gave to prove they can grind out games in the midst of the playoff hunt. I expect Cucho Hernandez, Diego Rossi and Christian Ramirez to get on the scoresheet to outpace the Fire.

Columbus Crew 3 Chicago Fire 1

Collin Johnson

It’s not often you see a team score three goals and lose but that’s where we are with the current iteration of the Crew defense. I give Wilfried Nancy a bit of a pass on his substitutions from the Orlando match due to the upcoming midweek match followed by another road match in Dallas, but the defense absolutely has to be able to hold onto a two goal lead with fewer than 20 minutes to go in a match. 

Back home, the Black & Gold will find their way to a win against a Chicago Fire side that hasn’t won in Columbus since 2013 and that is currently fighting for a spot in the playoffs. The Crew should be able to put another few goals in the back of the net before heading south to face off against Dallas on Saturday. 

Columbus Crew 2 Chicago Fire 1

Ryan Schmitt

The Crew had a rough second half in Orlando. Losing a two-goal lead is something that, at worst, should result in a tie, let alone a loss. However it happened, and the team must move on. Coming into this game, the Crew is the favorite, but the little things need to be correct to be successful, which seems to be getting lost between all the tactics and man movement that the Black & Gold does in a match. The Crew will win this match. It’s nearly a must-win game in the grand scheme of the MLS Cup playoff picture to try and get one of the top four, if not the top thre spots.

Columbus Crew 3 Chicago Fire 2