Major League Soccer is back with a fresh set of fixtures and will see Chicago Fire and Orlando City go head to head at Soldier Field on Sunday night.
Both sides return to league action off the back of a forgettable Leagues Cup campaign and will be looking to pick up a morale-boosting victory.
Match preview
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Chicago Fire's dreams of a first-ever Leagues Cup title came to an end in the round-of-32 as they fell to a 1-0 loss at the hands of Mexican outfit Club America on August 5.
In a game where Richard Sanchez received his marching orders, experienced midfielder Gaston Gimenez scored a 64th-minute own goal to gift the Liga MX side a deserved victory.
Chicago Fire kicked off the 2023 Leagues Cup campaign with an unconvincing 3-2 win over Minnesota United, four days before holding out for a 1-1 draw with Puebla to finish as Central 2 group winners.
Frank Klopas's men now turn their attention to MLS, where they are currently on a three-match winning streak, beating Nashville, Montreal and Toronto FC since a 3-1 loss to Sunday's visitors when the sides met on July 2.
The Fire head into the weekend on a run of 15 points from the last 18 available and this fine run of form has been owing to their impressive performance at the defensive end of the pitch where they have kept four clean sheets in that time.
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Like this weekend's hosts, Orlando City's Leagues Cup quest came to an end in the round-of-32 they fell to a 3-2 defeat against Inter Miami at the DRV PNK Stadium on August 3.
Lionel Messi turned in another performance of the highest quality in front of the Inter Miami supporters as he scored either side of Josef Martinez's 51st-minute penalty to send the visitors packing.
Prior to that, the Lions played out a 1-1 draw with Houston Dynamo in their Leagues Cup curtain-raiser on July 22 before claiming a 3-2 victory over Santos Laguna to finish at the summit of the South 2 group.
Oscar Pareja's men now return to action in the MLS, where they have lost just one of their last six matches while claiming two draws and three wins, including a 2-1 victory over Atlanta United in their most recent league outing on July 16.
With 37 points from 23 games, Orlando City are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, five points and three places above Sunday's hosts.
Next up is a trip to the Soldier Field Stadium, where they have failed to win any of their last six visits, losing three and claiming three draws since a 1-0 victory in September 2015.
Team News
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Chicago Fire will take to the pitch without the defensive duo of Victor Bezerra and 27-year-old Wyatt Omsberg, who continue their spells on the sidelines.
He is joined on the club's injury table by Javier Casas, who has been ruled out since picking up an injury in April's US Open Cup clash with Chicago House.
Chris Muller picked up a hip problem against Atlanta United back in May and the American forward remains out of contention for the home side.
As for Orlando City, Parejo will be unable to call upon the services of Argentine midfielder Gaston Gonzalez, who has been sidelined with a thigh injury since June.
Michael Halliday has been out of action since coming off injured in June's game against Seattle Sounders and will play no part in this weekend's match.
Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:
Brady; Dean, Pineda, Czichos, Navarro; Herbers, Gimenez; Haile-Selassie, Shaqiri, Gutierrez; Koutsias
Orlando City possible starting lineup:
Gallese; Smith, Carlos, Jansson, Santos; Araujo, Cartagena; Torres, Pereyra, Angulo; McGuire
We say: Chicago Fire 2-1 Orlando City
Off the back of a disappointing Leagues Cup run, Chicago Fire and Orlando City will be looking to return to league action with a morale-boosting result. While both sides are evenly matched heading into this one, the Fire's home record in this fixture makes them slight favourites and we predict that they will come away with a slender victory.
How to watch
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Top tip
Joshua Ojele
