Charlotte FC’s Predicted Starting XI vs Columbus Crew

Ryan Donahue
May 3
2 min read

By Ryan Donahue

*Charlotte FC's starting XI versus New England Revolution (Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90)*

After a disappointing defeat last weekend against New England, Charlotte FC has a stretch of four straight away fixtures starting with the Columbus Crew, who sit second in the Eastern Conference, this evening.

Ahead of tonight's game, here is how Charlotte fans can expect the team to lineup:

Defensive unit

In the center back spots, Adilson Malanda and Andrew Privett are expected to continue their partnership, with Tim Ream available to slot in if needed.

Ream is expected to start on the left as Souleyman Doumbia and Nathan Byrne won’t be available for this weekend's fixture. Byrne, who is expected to miss the next several months, and his spot looks to be taken by Nick Scardina, who has shown he can be a trusted deputy on the right.

As always, Kristijan Kahlina will be in goal.

Midfield line

Charlotte’s midfield trio may get shaken up a bit as Pep Biel looks like he may miss tonight's game due to a hamstring injury.

The central midfield pair of Ashley Westwood and Brandt Bronico is expected to retain their places, but instead of Biel, Dean Smith may look to use Bronico as the more attacking midfielder, with Djibril Diani coming back into the mix.

Alternatively, with Biel being unavailable, Smith could choose to use the opportunity to get Eryk Williamson more minutes in the attacking role and leave Bronico in the holding position alongside Westwood.

Forward line

Across the front three, there is likely to be no real changes as Smith continues to use his cast of Patrick Agyemang, Liel Abada, and Wilfried Zaha. Despite struggling to score last week, this trio has shown to be Charlotte’s best forward dynamic and will need to show good form on Saturday to secure a result.

Charlotte’s Idan Toklomati will likely be used in some capacity in the second half as fresh legs, along with Kerwin Vargas, who will either replace Abada or Zaha and inject some extra energy in the second half.