The Chicago Fire wrap up their two-game homestand on Saturday in desperate need of a victory when they host CF Montreal at Soldier Field.
Chicago are five back of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer following a 2-0 defeat to New York City FC last Sunday, while Montreal extended their unbeaten run to seven games thanks to an emphatic 4-0 win at home versus the New England Revolution.
Match preview
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In a match that manager Ezra Hendrickson called their worst performance of the year, Chicago dropped down to 12th in the Eastern Conference, failing to register a shot on target at home to the reigning MLS Cup champions.
Despite having 58% of the possession against New York, Hendrickson was critical of how his team moved the ball, saying their passes rarely connected, adding that there was virtually no movement from his players off the ball.
They have been outscored 6-1 in their previous two games, even though Chicago had over 50% of the possession in both encounters, going goalless in their last two matches played in the Windy City.
Five of the last eight goals that the Fire have conceded have come in the opening half, allowing the opener within the first 16 minutes of play in each of their previous three encounters.
Chicago have won two of their three fixtures against Canadian teams this season, though they have not beaten Montreal since a 3-2 triumph at home in 2019.
All eight of their remaining fixtures are against Eastern Conference opponents who are currently ahead of them in the table, so their playoff hopes rest squarely in their hands.
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What has been a special season in Montreal hit another high note last week as they trounced the Revolution, in what was their biggest victory since beating the Philadelphia Union 4-0 in 2019.
They are just one win shy of their MLS record of 15, which was set in 2015 when they wound up third in the Eastern Conference, their highest-ever finish to a regular-season campaign.
Wilfried Nancy's side will need four wins and a draw from their remaining eight matches to assure their spot in the postseason for only the second time since 2016.
After 26 games this year, Montreal have scored the fifth-most goals in the league (47), while they are fourth in the Supporters' Shield standings and second in the Eastern Conference, five points behind the Union with a game in hand.
Montreal have been one of the best road teams throughout the regular season, winning seven times while losing only twice, including four triumphs in their previous five away fixtures setting a franchise record for road victories in a season.
The news that their early MVP candidate will be heading to the Netherlands in January could motivate this squad to put an MLS Cup run together while they still have the talented American at their disposal.
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Team News
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Chicago Homegrown forward Victor Bezerra made his second appearance of the year, coming on for Chris Mueller last week for the final 12 minutes.
Goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina conceded twice at home for the first time since allowing three to the Columbus Crew in a 3-2 defeat back on July 9.
Xherdan Shaqiri is tied for third in the league with 11 assists while also adding four goals, one fewer than team-leader Kacper Przybylko and Federico Navarro has 54 tackles, second only to Claudio Bravo (62) of the Portland Timbers.
Miguel Navarro will be suspended for this encounter after picking up another caution last Sunday, and Jhon Espinoza is questionable with a right knee issue.
Carlos Teran, Stanislav Ivanov and Gaston Gimenez all have right thigh injuries, with Gimenez ruled out for the season, while Wyatt Omsberg is nursing a problem in his left foot.
Montreal have agreed to transfer Djordje Mihailovic to AK Alkmaar of the Dutch Eredivisie when the winter transfer window opens in January 2023, for a reported $6 million plus add-ons.
The Canadians will retain a sell-on clause as part of the deal, while the Fire will receive 10% of the transfer fee since they retained a sell-on clause for the American midfielder when they traded him to Montreal in 2021.
Romell Quioto has 11 goals in his last 10 starts, including five tallies in his previous three games, Kei Kamara moved into third on the all-time MLS scoring list, notching his 135th career goal last weekend and Samuel Piette picked up his third assist of the season.
The MLS Disciplinary Committee issued a one-game suspension to Matko Miljevic for embellishment in their victory over New England.
Ahmed Hamdy continues to deal with a sore right leg, Rudy Camacho has a right shoulder problem and Tomas Giraldo is out with a hamstring injury.
Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:
Slonina; Sekulic, Burks, Czichos, M. Navarro; Gutierrez, F. Navarro; Herbers, Shaqiri, Mueller; Przybylko
CF Montreal possible starting lineup:
Pantemis; Bassong, Waterman, Miller; Johnston, Piette, Wanyama, Lappalainen; Mihailovic; Kamara, Quioto
We say: Chicago Fire 1-2 CF Montreal
Overall the Fire have been a lot livelier and more creative over the past couple of months, but they still make their share of individual errors, which have cost them dearly.
Montreal are brimming with confidence, scoring multiple goals in four straight games, and they just played perhaps their best match of the season without arguably their best player, so expect them to be very determined and hungry on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
