- Columbus Crew have won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five games in all competitions, winning their last two.
- FC Cincinnati have won only one of their eight MLS 2026 away games, drawing four and losing three.
- Columbus have conceded just six goals in their seven MLS 2026 home games to date.
Hell Is Real could be a derby scrap
The league table suggests a tight game in this Ohio derby on Saturday, but the formbook says that Columbus Crew should have the edge.
Cincinnati are 15th in MLS 2026 with 20 points from 15 games, but the Crew are 23rd with 16 points from 15. So the standings imply the fixture should be closer than the 73/100 hosts and 29/10 visitors suggest with the draw at 16/5.
But Columbus are in much better form right now, winning two in a row. Cincy have also won two in a row, but their form across the last five in all current competitions has been a mixed 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss.
Crew have more bite in attack
Laurent Courtois has been in charge since 17 May 2026 and is slowly getting the Crew to press higher up, rotate compactly and attack the box more directly. Columbus have looked a bit cleaner and more confident in the final third over their past couple of games and it shows in the results.
Pat Noonan has been Cincinnati's boss since December 2021 and his Dutch-leaning 4-3-3 is all about possession, fast circulation and aggressive ball recovery. But the visitors have conceded 23 goals on the road in the MLS this season at a brutal average of 2.88 per game.
Evander Ferreira is Cincinnati's danger man with nine goals in 14 MLS 2026 appearances this season while adding four more and five assists to his tally during their recent five-game surge up the table. Diego Rossi leads the Crew with six goals in 15 games, while Max Arfsten has two of the six scored by Columbus across their last five.
Hell is not a place for the faint hearted
It is always better to stick with the form, but this is a derby and the rivalry has become quite a close one, too.
Columbus have one win and Cincinnati two in the last three head-to-head meetings across all current competitions. No draws. No boring affairs, either. This will be a tactical chess battle, with Columbus looking to squeeze the build-up and strike quickly while Cincinnati will look to stretch the press and punish transitions.
Hell Is Real should bring heat, tempo swings, and a proper derby bite, so the smart punt alongside the home win is Over 2.5 goals at 19/50.
