Chicago Fire vs Inter Miami – News and Probable Lineups

The battle for the second position in the Eastern Conference of MLS might become intriguing on Wednesday night if the Chicago Fire manages to conquer Inter Miami at Soldier Field.

As they approach this match, the Fire are ranked third following a 4-4 stalemate at Toronto, leaving them five points behind Miami, who played to a 2-2 draw against Atlanta United in their latest outing.

Match overview

While they are frequently securing points, Chicago allowed a few to slip away in Toronto last Saturday.

Gregg Berhalter’s team has squandered a total of 18 points in the league this season after scoring first.

Nonetheless, a win midweek would bring them to just two points behind Miami for second place, while Chicago is currently ahead with a game in hand.

Five of the Fire’s next seven MLS matches are slated to take place at Soldier Field as they aim for a fourth consecutive home victory, which would mark their longest streak in the current season.

Chicago could secure their eighth home win of the regular season on Wednesday, a feat not achieved by this club in a single MLS season since 2019 (eight).

In four of their last five home fixtures against Miami in this competition, the Fire have managed to take points, with three victories among those.

Inter Miami is fast losing ground in the quest for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, having gone winless in five of their last six league matches.

Arriving at this fixture, they find themselves ten points behind Nashville SC in first, who also boast a significant tiebreaker advantage with four additional victories.

Kily Gonzalez has yet to face defeat since taking over as manager of the Herons, and on Wednesday he has the opportunity to register his first away win with the team, as well as their first domestic win as visitors since July (a 1-0 victory at CF Montreal).

This season, they have allowed multiple goals in eight different away matches, conceding a total of eight in the last two confrontations.

The Herons lead the league with 58 goals this season, finding the net in their last eight away games domestically.

Miami has taken points in three of their past four encounters with Chicago, though they have only managed to defeat the Fire once before at Soldier Field back in 2024 (4-1).

Team News

The Fire may be without Jonathan Bamba, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, and Andre Franco on Wednesday due to injuries affecting their lower bodies, all of whom missed the last match in Toronto.

Maren Haile-Selassie scored a brace in that match, Walker Zimmerman had an own goal, and Robert Lewandowski found the net, marking his fifth of the season in MLS.

On the Miami side, Sergio Reguilon is dealing with a hamstring strain, Micael is questionable due to an ankle issue, while Santiago Morales is uncertain with a quadriceps problem, Gonzalo Lujan is coping with a lower leg issue, and Tadeo Allende is deemed questionable due to a long-term injury.

Lionel Messi made history last weekend, becoming the first player in MLS to achieve 30 goal contributions across three distinct campaigns, providing an assist for his team’s opening goal scored by Casemiro, with Luis Suarez netting their other goal.

Chicago Fire probable starting XI:

Brady; Dean, Rogers, Elliott, Gutman; Saletros, D’Aville, Haile-Selassie; Zinckernagel, Lewandowski, Dithejane

Inter Miami probable starting XI:

St. Clair; Fray, Casemiro, Falcon, Caicedo; De Paul, Bright, Segovia; Messi, Suarez, Silvetti

Both teams boast impressive attacking capabilities, and given their penchant for aggressive and open play, we anticipate seeing goals from both sides numerous times.