CF Montreal can end a five-match winless run away from home in MLS when they travel to Soldier Field for a Wednesday date with the Chicago Fire.
It will be the second of four straight matches for Chicago in the Windy City after the Fire defeated Nashville SC 1-0 this past weekend, while Le CFM suffered a 1-0 defeat versus Atlanta United.
Match preview
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With three victories in their last four domestic encounters, the Fire have put themselves right back in the Eastern Conference playoff conversation, currently on the outside of that line, having won two fewer matches than Montreal.
Chicago are in a five-way tie for ninth at the moment, while their previous victory was the first at home for them against an Eastern Conference opponent this year.
While they have only suffered one defeat at home in 2023, they have missed numerous opportunities to climb up the table, squandering six points when leading in the second half this year at Soldier Field.
Under interim manager Frank Klopas, this team have only lost one of their four domestic encounters, posting one clean sheet over that span.
So far this year, the Fire have collected a mere three league victories at home but are tied for the second-fewest defeats in that category (one), with the New England Revolution and FC Cincinnati being the only MLS clubs who have not lost at home this season.
Despite coming away with seven clean sheets in all competitions this season, Chicago have a habit of giving away goals in bunches, conceding the third-most in the MLS Eastern Conference (31), allowing three or more on five occasions.
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After looking impenetrable for a long time, Montreal have once again forgotten how to score, without a goal in their last three league fixtures.
It is the third time this season that Hernan Losada's side have been shut out in three successive MLS affairs, while a draw or loss in their next two domestic encounters would match their longest winless run in this competition since 2021 (five).
Perhaps what has been most surprising about their recent dry spell is that their previous two defeats came at Saputo Stadium, where this team had not conceded in six successive domestic outings, coming close to matching the longest home shutout record in MLS history.
Last season, Le CFM were the best road team in the MLS regular season, winning 11 times while losing only four, but a year later, they have already lost twice as many times on the road, while capturing just one victory.
It may be redundant to say scoring first is important, but for Montreal that has often been the difference between winning and losing, with a clean sheet in seven of their eight league victories this year, while failing to score in 10 of their 11 defeats.
CF Montreal have always been aggressive since Losada took charge, but lately, turnovers in dangerous areas have forced them to give away set pieces which they have struggled to defend.
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Team News
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Chicago will be missing Victor Bezerra, Wyatt Omsberg and Federico Navarro with right lower leg issues, Javier Casas and Chris Mueller are dealing with right upper leg injuries, while Arnaud Souquet sat out of their previous match through suspension.
Fabian Herbers notched his fourth of the season on Saturday, matching a personal best for him in the regular season, Chris Brady picked up his fourth shutout of the campaign, while Maren Haile-Selassie notched his third assist this year.
Herbers started for the fourth successive time on Saturday, playing alongside Gaston Gimenez as a holding midfielder, Haile-Selassie, Xherdan Shaqiri and Brian Gutierrez began beside one another for a second consecutive encounter, while Georgios Koutsias made his fifth regular-season start for the Fire.
Montreal were without Romell Quioto this weekend as he is still recovering from a hamstring strain, Lassi Lappalainen was sidelined with a sports hernia, Mathieu Choiniere sprained his ankle, Samuel Piette was on the bench for the first time since sustaining an adductor injury, while they could have Aaron Herrera and Zachary Brault-Guillard back in the fold after Guatemala and Canada were eliminated from the Gold Cup.
Rudy Camacho will not be available due to yellow card accumulation, while Kwadwo Opoku could make his debut for Le CFM after being acquired from Los Angeles FC, with the reigning league champions receiving £1.1 million in General Allocation Money (GAM) as part of the deal.
In their last visit to Soldier Field, Quioto and former striker Ismael Kone netted in a 2-0 victory, while the previous match between these two teams ended in a 3-2 win for Le CFM as Kei Kamara, now a member of the Fire, had a brace and an assist for Montreal.
Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:
Brady; Dean, Pineda, Czichos, M. Navarro; Herbers, Gimenez; Haile-Selassie, Shaqiri, Gutierrez; Kamara
CF Montreal possible starting lineup:
Sirois; Waterman, Campbell, Corbo; Brault-Guillard, Saliba, Wanyama, Herrera; Offor, Duke; Opoku
We say: Chicago Fire 2-0 CF Montreal
The Fire have been a lot sharper along the back end in recent outings, and we expect to see a highly motivated Kamara in the mood to do some damage to his former team.
Montreal do not seem to have the same swagger on the road that we saw a year ago, and they have not been all that convincing when in possession over the past few weeks.
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Joel Lefevre
