Columbus vs Cincinnati Prediction, Odds, MLS Picks 5/17/2025

Eastern Conference leaders FC Cincinnati look to continue their impressive road form as they visit rivals Columbus Crew in this pivotal MLS clash at Lower.com Field on Saturday night.

While Columbus enters as slight betting favorites (-105) with an unbeaten home record this season, Cincinnati's defense has been rock-solid away from home, conceding just three goals in their last five road matches.

The matchup features two of the league's top scorers in Evander and Denkey (both with 9 goals), setting the stage for what could be another tight contest in the Ohio Derby.

At Sporting Post, our unique prediction model combines insights from top MLS experts to give you a clear edge.

Rather than digging through countless opinions, you can rely on our predictions to reflect the broader market sentiment. We scan trusted sources, analyzing expert picks, team data, and betting trends—then our AI assigns a confidence score to each prediction. These scores are averaged to create an 'expert opinion' win probability, offering a data-driven snapshot of what the smartest minds in MLS are thinking.

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Columbus Crew vs. Cincinnati preview

Cincinnati heads into Lower.com Field riding high atop the Eastern Conference standings with 28 points, but they'll face a stern test against third-placed Columbus Crew in what promises to be another heated installment of the Ohio derby.

Pat Noonan's Cincinnati side has mastered the art of grinding out results, with their last seven victories all coming by a single goal—most recently a 1-0 win at Toronto where Denkey continued his impressive form.

The Crew, meanwhile, will be eager to bounce back after consecutive draws against Montreal and Philadelphia, games where they dominated possession but couldn't convert their chances.

Columbus boasts the more prolific attack with Evander and Rossi in fine form, though Cincinnati's league-best defense has been their foundation for success, conceding just 10 goals in 13 matches.

Despite the Crew being slight favorites at -105, Cincinnati has been road warriors this season with four away victories, though all three of their season defeats have come away from TQL Stadium.

History between these Ohio rivals has produced entertaining encounters, with five of their last six meetings seeing at least three goals scored—setting the stage for what should be another compelling chapter in this fierce regional rivalry.

Key stats

1

Cincinnati sits top of the table with 28 points from 13 matches, including 9 wins—the most in the league.

2

Columbus Crew has lost just once in 13 games (7W-5D-1L), showing remarkable consistency despite sitting third.

3

The Crew boast a much stronger goal difference (+8) than Cincinnati (+4), suggesting they may be the more balanced side.

4

Cincinnati enters with excellent form (WWLWW in last 5), while Columbus has cooled slightly after a strong start (DDWWL).

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