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Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire Preview
Inter Miami welcomes the Chicago Fire to Chase Stadium on July 20 at 4:30 pm. Miami looks to hold on to their place at the top of the Eastern Conference. They regained their lead following their midweek victory over Toronto.
Chicago sits just two points behind the play-in places in 13th after they stunned Cincinnati on Wednesday night. Can the Fire make it two shock victories in a row, or will Miami continue to stake their claim as the best team in the MLS?
Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire Head-To-Head and Key Stats
Inter Miami and Chicago Fire have met six times. Historically, Chicago has got the better of the Herons. They hold bragging rights with four victories to one with one draw. These sides last met in the regular season in October 2023.
Chicago dismantled Miami that day in a 4-1 victory at Soldier Field. Legendary Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri broke the deadlock in the 49th minute after a scoreless first half. Miami won a penalty four minutes later when Jonathan Dean handled the ball in the box and Josef Martinez drew level from the spot.
Maren Haile-Selassie’s strike in the 62nd minute helped Chicago regain the lead, and he secured a quick-fire brace in the 66th minute to double their advantage. Shaqiri completed a brace of his own in the 73rd minute to put the game beyond doubt and send Miami packing with their tails between their legs.
Chicago last played on July 17 against high-flying FC Cincinnati. Cincy was top of the Eastern Conference heading into the match and The Fire looked underwhelming underdogs. The hosts dominated the first half, but Chicago held firm to deny them a goal and entered halftime scoreless. Cincy dominated the ball in the second half, and the Fire relied on counterattacks to find a way through.
Chicago’s defence was resilient, and their fast breaks finally paid off in the 69th minute. Hugo Cuypers surged up the field supported by Brian Gutierrez in a two-on-two with the Cincy defenders. Cuypers squared the ball across the box and Gutierrez slotted home to give Chicago an unlikely lead at the TQL Stadium. Cincy plugged away for the final 20 minutes, but Chicago completed a perfect defensive display to stun the conference leaders and leave The Queen City with three points. Chicago is now enjoying a three-game unbeaten run.
Inter Miami also played on Wednesday night, welcoming Toronto to Chase Stadium. They suffered a humiliating 6-1 defeat at Cincy the week prior and needed to bounce back. A series of fouls from both sides hampered the action in the first half. They broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute when Federico Redondo’s lofted ball over the Toronto defence found Diego Gomez, who fired the ball into the net from outside the box.
The playmaker turned goalscorer early in the second half. Redondo headed in Julian Gressel’s in-swinging free-kick in the 53rd minute to double the Herons’ lead. The Spanish-born midfielder secured his brace six minutes later when Diego Gomez returned the favour from earlier. Redondo saw the game off early by slotting home Gomez’s pass across the box. Toronto netted a consolation goal in the 79th minute through Derrick Etienne Jr.
Miami came away with maximum points and regained their lead atop the Eastern Conference. Inter Miami has won five in six, placing them two points ahead of second-placed Cincinnati.
Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire Prediction
Correct score prediction: Inter Miami 3-1 Chicago Fire
Inter Miami’s humiliating defeat at the hands of Cincinnati has not deterred them from their end-of-season goals. They recovered in style against Toronto, putting in a complete performance. Our soccer prediction is for a victory to Inter Miami.
Chicago proved they are no pushovers in their victory over Cincinnati. However, Miami proved they could cope without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez while away on international duty, losing once and winning the rest in their absence. Suarez will return on Saturday and Miami will be even stronger.
Miami has been the team to beat in the MLS this season. They have more points than any team in the league and coach Gerardo Martino’s high-octane, attacking style of play has dazzled fans. They have scored 54 goals, the most in the league, drowning teams with their array of attacking talent.
Messi and Suarez have been the cornerstone of their offence, but others have stepped up in their absence. Leo Campana and Ryan Taylor have five and four goals each and Gressel hit an incredible patch of playmaking form. He has 12 assists, one fewer than Messi, six of them coming in his last five appearances along with a goal in between. Miami has too much talent in attack for Chicago to deal with.
The Fire has been poor going forward this season. Only four teams in the MLS have scored fewer than Chicago, who have found the net just 29 times. Hugo Cuypers leads their scoring charts with nine goals in 24 games, followed by Gutierrez and Haile-Selassie with five in 23 and 19, respectively.
They have also struggled for playmakers. Haile-Selassie and Fabian Herbers lead their assists charts with just five each. In comparison, Messi and Gressel have 13 and 12, Jordi Alba has seven, Diego Gomez has six and Busquets and Suarez have five a piece. Miami has playmakers and goalscorers all over the field while the Fire is struggling for both.
Defensively, Chicago has been tough to crack. They have only conceded two more than Miami. However, the Herons have improved at the back as the season has progressed and their shock 6-1 defeat to Cincinnati has skewed those numbers. Chicago showed defensive solidarity against Cincinnati, but Miami has a lot more tools at their disposal.
Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire Betting Tips
Inter Miami has been in excellent form aside from their slip-up on the road against Cincinnati. They have won five of their last six games and the MLS betting odds favour them to make it six in seven on Saturday. A bet on Miami to win is worth -172 and you should wager on them if you are backing a winner.
The Herons have been at their goalscoring best of recent but have still been susceptible to counterattacks. They have failed to keep a clean sheet since they welcomed DC United on May 18. Chicago showed in their last game they are dangerous on the break, leading to their victory over Cincinnati. While we are backing Miami to win, we predict the Fire will at least get themselves a consolation goal.
Inter Miami to win and both teams to score is worth +175 with our online sportsbook. Alternatively, a bet on Miami to win 2-1, 3-1, or 4-1 is worth +325. Both bets have landed in five of Miami’s last six games.
Another great performance in the books ✅ pic.twitter.com/ACUYJbwtJj
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) July 18, 2024
Luis Suarez has been away on Copa America duty since June 21. He returned off the bench in Miami’s game against Toronto on Wednesday night and will probably return to the starting lineup against Chicago. The Uruguayan leads their scoring charts this season with 12 goals, and we are backing him to put in a goal-scoring return to the starting XI. He is worth -110 for an anytime goal. Wait for the starting lineups to be announced, or you can use our live betting feature to back him to score in play.
The MLS odds have Inter Miami as favourites to win the MLS Cup this season. They are top of the Eastern Conference thanks to their attacking prowess. The Herons are the top scorers in the MLS and have scored plenty at home. We like a bet on the hosts to score over 2.5 goals, worth +140.
Inter Miami Team News
Lionel Messi picked up an injury during the Copa America final and has not returned to training following Argentina’s triumph. He will not appear on Saturday. Luis Suarez is back from international duty and came off the bench in the victory over Toronto. He should return to starting duties this Saturday. Nicolas Freire and Facundo Farias are out for the season with ACL injuries. Sergio Busquets and Marcelo Weigandt are serving suspensions and will not be available.
- Predicted lineup: Callender, Alba, Aviles, Kryvtsov, Fray, Redondo, Bright, Rojas, Taylor, Gressel, Suarez.
Chicago Fire Team News
Chase Gaspar has yet to return to training since March with a thigh injury and will not play. Federico Navarro suffered a setback in his return from injury in late June and is not back in training. He will not appear on Saturday. There has been no news about Carlos Teran since he left the field in June. Andrew Gutman is nearing a return since an injury three weeks ago and could make the squad. Xherdan Shaqiri has returned from Euro 2024 duty with Switzerland, but his fitness remains questionable after missing Chicago’s game midweek.
- Predicted lineup: Brady, Souquet, Omsberg, Czichos, Dean, Acosta, Giminez, Arigoni, Haile-Selassie, Gutierrez, Cuypers.
