With their playoff destiny in their hands, CF Montreal head to Lower.com Field on Saturday to face the Columbus Crew on the final day of the MLS regular season.
Coming off the back of playing a 1-1 draw against Atlanta United last time out, the Crew have already clinched a spot in the playoffs in head coach Wilfried Nancy's first season in-charge.
They currently sit in fourth place in Eastern Conference, but can rise to third place with a win or draw and a Philadelphia Union loss this weekend, which would ensure they begin the playoffs at home.
Montreal, meanwhile, are in eighth place in the East thanks to a comprehensive 4-1 victory over the Portland Timbers last time out. The visitors are trying to hold on to a Wild Card spot, currently just a point above the post-season line heading into Decision Day.
The instructions for Hernan Losada's troops on Saturday are pretty clear: win. If they do, Montreal will qualify for the Wild Card round, while a draw or loss will open an opportunity for the New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire to overtake them in the standings, with both sides only a point behind them.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Columbus vs Montréal kick-off time
| Date: | October 21, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 6:00pm ET/ 3:00 pm PT |
| Venue: | Lower.com Field |
Columbus Crew and Montreal face off on October 21, 2023 at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Kickoff is set for 6:00 pm Eastern Time (ET), or 3:00 pm Pacific Time (PT).
How to watch Columbus vs Montréal online - TV channels & live streams
 | Apple TV | Watch here |
The game will be available to watch and stream worldwide on Apple TV, through the MLS Season Pass.
Fans who cannot watch the game can follow the live updates on GOAL, while highlights of the game will be uploaded to the official MLS YouTube channel.
Team news & squads
Columbus team news
Columbus Crew's only injury absentee this weekend is defender Will Sands, who will be unavailable due to a knee sprain.
Head coach Wilfried Nancy otherwise has a fully-fit squad at his disposal, with Steven Moreira (Cape Verde), Patrick Schulte (USA Under-23), and Aidan Morris (USA Under-23) all back to training after being called up for their respective national teams during the recent international break.
Columbus Crew possible XI: Schulte; Moreira, Camacho, Vallecilla; Gressel, Nagbe, Yeboah, Zawadzki; Rossi, Matan; Hernandez
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Schulte, Scott, Bush |
| Defenders: | Vallecilla, Cheberko, Camacho, Quinton, Amundsen, Medranda, Farsi, Moreira |
| Midfielders: | Morris, Nagbe, Zawadzki, Parente, Gressel |
| Forwards: | Rossi, Yeboah, Matan, Hernandez, Molina, Arfsten, Russell-Rowe, Ramirez |
Montréal team news
Montreal will have to make do without several key players for this do-or-die encounter, including Jules-Anthony Vilsaint (ankle), Ahmed Hamdi (leg), Robert Thorkelsson (adductor), and Aaron Herrera (ankle), who have all been ruled out due to respective injury concerns.
Montreal possible XI: Sirois; Campbell, Waterman, Corbo; Choiniere, Wanyama, Piette, Lassiter; Ibrahim, Opoku, Quioto
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Sirios, Pantemis, Ketterer |
| Defenders: | Waterman, Campbell, Corbo, Alvarez, Brault-Guillard |
| Midfielders: | Wanyama, Piette, Jabang, Duke, Choiniere, Saliba, Kwizera, Hamdi, Lassiter |
| Forwards: | Lappalainen, Miljevic, Opoku, Toye, Offor, Ibrahim, Quioto |
Head-to-Head Record
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 3/9/23 | Montreal 2-4 Columbus | MLS |
| 10/9/22 | Montreal 0-0 Columbus | MLS |
| 4/8/22 | Columbus 1-2 Montreal | MLS |
| 26/9/21 | Columbus 2-1 Montreal | MLS |
| 2/5/21 | Montreal 0-0 Columbus | MLS |