Predicting Atlanta United’s lineup vs Columbus Crew

Decision Day has finally arrived for Atlanta United. After an impressive 2-0 against FC Cincinnati, the Five Stripes have placed themselves back in a fight for a playoff spot.

Atlanta United’s starting XI vs. FC Cincinnati:

In the ultimate must-win situation for Stephen Glass, who does he line up?

My predicted starting XI:

Miles Robinson has been taken off of Atlanta United’s injury report after testing positive for COVID-19 a little more than two weeks ago. But even if he’s technically available for selection, he is likely not fit enough to play, which would have Anton Walkes and Franco Escobar as our center-back pairing after an impressive clean sheet against FC Cincinnati.

Mo Adams picked up an injury in last week’s win, which makes him unavailable in Atlanta’s regular-season finale. I’d expect Jeff Larentowicz will take his place, but Glass has surprised us before.

It was hard choosing between Jon Gallagher and Ezequiel Barco on that left-hand side, but Gallagher has been one of Atlanta United’s best players in the insane year that has been 2020. It’s hard to see him benched for such an important game. Stephen Glass has used Gallagher as a false 9 in previous matches, and that very well could be a possibility. Still, it looks like having a traditional striker like Adam Jahn, or “Cubo” Torres fits more in Glass’s tactical plan for the team. It’d be a blow to some egos for Barco not to crack the starting XI, but the ultimate question has to be what group of players gives the team the best chance to win. A player with Barco’s technical skill could be a game-changer coming off the bench.

Let us know your predictions below!