Columbus Limp Into Montréal as Two Finishing-Cursed Sides Meet Again

This one's a graveyard for goal-scorers. Columbus rolls into Stade Saputo on September 19th carrying the offensive firepower of a water pistol—1.29 goals per road game and a ghastly 0-5-2 away record. Montréal isn't much better at home, averaging 0.8 goals over their last five while underperforming their expected goals by a staggering 13.1 on the season. These aren't teams in slumps; they're teams fundamentally broken in the final third.

The numbers tell a brutal story: Montréal should be scoring 1.565 per game based on their chances but limp in at 1.24 actual. Columbus creates 1.304 xG per match and somehow converts at 1.4—both sides are cursed finishers who couldn't bury a chance if you spotted them an open net. When Montréal edged Columbus 2-1 back in August, it felt like an anomaly, and frankly, it was.

DarkHorse is riding the under 3.0 goals here with moderate confidence, and it's hard to argue. You're banking on two offensively anemic squads who've proven incapable of punishing defenses all year. Columbus can't score on the road, Montréal can't score period, and expecting three goals between them feels wildly optimistic. This has 1-0 snoozefest written all over it.