CHICAGO FIRE host New York City FC in an MLS fixture on Sunday with both teams looking to get their campaign back on track. Chicago have been decent at home lately and should have the upper hand over New York City, who have found things difficult on their travels.
Chicago Fire are going through a rough patch as they have claimed just three wins from their last 10 matches across all competitions. They head into Sunday’s clash off the back of a 1-0 defeat to San Jose Earthquakes last time out in the MLS.
The good news for Chicago Fire is that they have been decent at home having won their last two matches. A 2-1 victory over LA Galaxy is among their results in that run, although Frank Klopas’ men are without a clean sheet in their last six matches at Soldier Field.
New York City have also found things difficult lately and have picked up just two wins in their last six matches. Nick Cushing’s men have lost the remaining four matches, including a 2-1 defeat at Austin FC in their previous fixture.
A major problem for New York City is that they often struggle on their travels as evidenced by the defeat to Austin. That result means they have now lost their last three matches on the road.
How the bookies view it: Chicago with the edge
Chicago Fire have the edge among the bookies and are priced at 5/4 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for New York City is valued at 7/4 while a draw is set at odds of 12/5 by Betfred.
Head to head: New York City on top
New York City have an 11-4 advantage with six draws from 21 previous matches against Chicago Fire. They also claimed a 1-0 victory in the most recent meeting between both teams back in October.
Players to watch: Cuypers to stay hot
Hugo Cuypers is the leading scorer for Chicago Fire with nine MLS goals and will be the one to watch on Sunday. Six of those goals have come in the last seven matches and the forward is priced at 13/8 by Betfred to maintain his scoring run.
New York City also have some attacking quality of their own, with Alonso Martinez scoring eight MLS goals this season. The forward is priced at 7/4 by Betfred to get on the score sheet on Sunday.
Probable line-ups
Chicago Fire have a lengthy injury list with the likes of Andrew Gutman and Federico Navarro still sidelined with injury. Hugo Cuypers should continue in attack while Wyatt Omsberg is expected to feature at the heart of the defence.
New York City also have injury problems of their own with Tayvon Gray joining that list after going off early in the first half last time out. Axel Ojeda is also pushing to start after coming off the bench in Austin while Alonso Martinez should lead the line once again.
Chicago Fire: Brady, Souquet, Omsberg, Czichos, Mueller, Acosta, Gimenez, Guttierez, Arigoni, Haile-Selassie, Cuypers
New York City FC: Freese, Ilenic, Thiago Martins, Tanasijevic, O’Toole, Parks, Sands, Pereira, Ojeda, Rodriguez, Martinez
Anything else catch the eye?
It was a seven goal thriller in Chicago Fire’s previous home fixture and another high-scoring encounter could be on the cards. Over 4.5 goals is valued at 7/2 by Betfred, who is also offering 6/4 for over 3.5 goals.
Chicago Fire have grabbed the first goal in two of their last three matches and are priced at 5/6 by Betfred to open the scoring on Sunday.
This MLS match between Chicago Fire and New York City FC will be played on Jul 14, 2024 and kick off at 01:30. Check below for our tipsters best Chicago Fire vs New York City FC prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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