Chicago Fire vs Inter Miami: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

With a win and some assistance from Inter Miami at Soldier Field on Saturday, the Chicago Fire can get into postseason contention.

In Major League Soccer (MLS), the Fire moved within two points of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference after last weekend's 2-2 tie with New York City FC. Meanwhile, the Herons maintained their lead in the East with eight points ahead of FC Cincinnati, whom they beat 2-0 last Saturday.

Previous matches and head-to-head

Last Saturday, the Fire were completely taken aback when they returned from a two-goal hole against NYCFC with less than fifteen minutes to go.

With eight points in this tournament after falling behind after 45 minutes, the Fire have had to recover from early deficits many times during the 2024 season.

Head coach Frank Klopas's squad has struggled to get off to good starts, not scoring in the first half of their past five MLS games.

Chicago hosts five of their last eight regular-season games and has won four in a row there.

The Fire have collected 26 points after 26 home matches, which is six lower than their point total at the same time in the previous MLS season.

Last year, in this same matchup at Soldier Field, Chicago won 4-1, putting them on a perfect 3-0 home record against the Herons.

Inter Miami is still charging forward, having won the Supporters' Shield trophy despite suffering several important injuries this season.

The team managed by Tata Martino has already broken the club record for most points in a season. With one match less played, they are four points ahead of the Los Angeles Galaxy in the league standings.

With 24 points still up for grabs until the regular season ends, Miami is now 17 points shy of the 2021 New England Revolution's record of 73 points, and they are on track to create a new Major League Soccer single-season record.

Only Cincinnati has won more road battles domestically this year (nine). Still, the Herons have broken their previous single-season club record of five established in 2021 with eight wins in this tournament while playing away from home.

With 14 different individuals scoring for the Herons in this tournament, their offensive depth has driven their victories all year. They were kept scoreless in only two MLS matches in 2024.

Despite a 4–1 road record in league play, the Herons were utterly destroyed in their most recent league match, a 6–1 loss to Cincinnati.

Chicago Fire x Inter Miami Team News

The Fire were missing Carlos Teran (leg problem) and Chase Gasper (hamstring injury) for the match against New York City.

Fabian Herbers' availability for this weekend's match is in doubt due to a leg ailment, although Ariel Lassiter may return from his suspension for yellow cards.

Last Saturday, Hugo Cuypers scored Brooklyn FC's tenth goal of the domestic season, halving the deficit. However, Brian Gutierrez converted a penalty in second-half stoppage time to earn a draw for his club.

Lionel Messi, captain of Inter Miami, is back in training with the squad but will likely sit out this weekend with an ankle ailment; Julian Gressel missed their last match because of an unknown problem; and Nicolas Freire and Facundo Farias are both still nursing ACL problems.

The Argentine, Tomas Aviles, will miss Saturday's encounter against Cincinnati due to a pair of warnings he received.

Last Saturday, Luis Suarez scored twice for the Herons, bringing his MLS goal total to fourteen. He is now tied for third place in the Golden Boot race with Philadelphia Union's Daniel Gazdag.

Our Predictions

Inter Miami to win @ 2.50 on Sky247.ng

The Herons seem unstoppable in Major League Soccer this season. With a deep offensive lineup and creative midfield, they should have no trouble defeating a Chicago team still looking for consistency.

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