MX23RW : Thursday, November 21 16:27:33| >> :600:1710155:1710155:
[monks data]
Chicago Fire
Major League Soccer | Gameweek 36
Sep 30, 2021 at 1am UK
Toyota Park
New York City

Chicago Fire
2 - 0
NY City

Beric (48'), Navarro (66')
Navarro (16'), Gimenez (59')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Medina (10'), Acevedo (27')

Preview: Chicago Fire vs. New York City FC - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Thursday's Major League Soccer clash between Chicago Fire and New York City FC, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Both the Chicago Fire and New York City FC will hope to get back on the scoresheet on Wednesday with a big three points up for grabs when the two sides meet at Soldier Field.

Chicago are now winless in their last five matches following their 0-0 draw with Nashville SC, while the Pigeons dropped the Hudson River Derby on Saturday, 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls.


Match preview

Chicago Fire head coach Raphael Wicky and assistant coach Frank Klopas pictured on June 27, 2021© Reuters

Under less than ideal conditions in the windy city, Raphael Wicky saw his side struggle to find space when they had the ball, though they were able to keep an offensively gifted side like Nashville at bay, collecting their first point in their last five games.

He has not said it in public, but judging from the lineup that we saw on the field on Saturday, it seems like Wicky has accepted that this team are unlikely to qualify for the postseason in 2021 as six players in the starting 11 were 23 years of age or younger.

It is still a mathematical possibility that they can make the playoffs, but hope is fading fast for this side, who have fought hard over the past couple of months but failed to generate enough positive results.

The last time they battled New York this year in early August, they struggled to create many good scoring opportunities, firing only one shot on target in a 0-0 draw.

Having played the second-most games in MLS, and with 13 points to make up, draws will not do them much good at this stage of the campaign.

Five of their remaining seven fixtures will be on the road, where they have only won once all season, although they have produced many favourable results at home, losing only two of their last 10 encounters at Soldier Field dating back to June 26.

New York City head coach Ronny Deila shouts to his team during the first half against Toronto FC at BMO Field on August 8, 2021© Reuters

Ronny Deila will hope that his New York squad can avoid their longest winless run of the campaign and maintain their narrow lead in third place in the Eastern Conference.

The former Celtic boss was forced to shuffle his lineup over the weekend because of a pair of late red cards in their game last Wednesday as the Boys in Blue struggled to find their touch against their arch-rivals this past weekend.

While they have had their share of chances over their previous two fixtures, their commitment moving forward has not always been there, and they have struggled in the final third, failing to beat Red Bulls keeper Carlos on their four shots on target this past weekend, while the winning goal against them came from Bronx native Omir Fernandez.

New York have had a knack for scoring late goals this season, finding the back of the net nine times in the final 15 minutes of play, the fifth-most among MLS clubs.

Typically sitting in third place would be a reasonably comfortable position to be in at this stage of the campaign, but this year has been so unpredictable that the Pigeons cannot afford to take their final eight regular-season games for granted as only three points separate them from potentially dropping below the playoff bubble.

With the race so tight, you would think that New York should not have any issues focusing on their next task to beat the Fire, but with an upcoming home fixture this weekend against Nashville before facing the Red Bulls again, it will be interesting to see if they can keep their attention on the here and now and not what lies ahead.

Chicago Fire Major League Soccer form:
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • D

New York City FC Major League Soccer form:
  • L
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • D
  • L



Team News

Chicago Fire midfielder Luka Stojanovic reacts after scoring a goal against Inter Miami on May 22, 2021© Reuters

Fire goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina stopped all four shots that he faced versus the Black-and-Gold for his second career clean sheet, in his fourth appearance for the club as Bobby Shuttleworth has been the reserve keeper over the past three games.

Mauricio Pineda and Jhon Espinoza were re-inserted in the starting 11 on Sunday, along with Ignacio Aliseda, as Carlos Teran missed through suspension, Boris Sekulic was injured and Chinonso Offor was on the sidelines.

Brian Gutierrez and leading goalscorer Luka Stojanovic are questionable with right ankle injuries, while Francisco Calvo is likely to miss this one with a right thigh problem.

Sean Johnson played a big part in keeping his team in the game versus the Red Bulls on Saturday, stopping five of the six shots that he faced, with many of them being quality opportunities.

Maxime Chanot and Keaton Parks did not feature in that match after they were both dismissed in their midweek encounter with the Red Bulls, while Valentin Castellanos was their most dangerous player once again but failed to score for the first time in his previous three games.

Nicolas Acevedo, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi and Talles Magno were all put into the starting 11 in their last match, replacing Chanot, Parks and Jesus Medina.

Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:
Slonina; Kappelhof, Teran, Pineda, Bornstein; Gimenez, Espinoza; Herbers, M. Navarro, F. Navarro; Beric

New York City FC possible starting lineup:
Johnson; Tinnerholm, Sands, Callens, Chanot; Zelalem, Morales; Medina, Moralez, Andrade; Castellanos


SM words green background

We say: Chicago Fire 1-4 New York City FC

The Fire did a great job eliminating mistakes while not allowing a potent Nashville team in dangerous areas, but they are facing a New York team who will be in a foul mood after failing to beat their state rivals in both encounters last week and with a top-notch striker eager to score more goals.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



ID:465722:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect11271:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a New York City FC win with a probability of 45.45%. A win for Chicago Fire had a probability of 30.79% and a draw had a probability of 23.8%.

The most likely scoreline for a New York City FC win was 1-2 with a probability of 9.22%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (8.08%) and 0-2 (6.82%). The likeliest Chicago Fire win was 2-1 (7.38%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.91%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 4.4% likelihood.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!



Game History

How you voted: Chicago Fire vs NY City

Chicago Fire
25.0%
Draw
12.5%
New York City FC
62.5%
16
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
New York City FC forward Valentin Castellanos (11) celebrates a goal by forward Santiago Rodriguez (not pictured) against Toronto FC with defender Malte Amundsen (12) and forward Thiago (8) during the first half at BMO Field on August 7, 2021
Read Next:
Saturday's MLS predictions including New York City vs. New York Red Bulls
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

Eastern Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Inter MiamiInter Miami34228479493074
2Columbus Crew34199672403266
3FC CincinnatiCincinnati341851158481059
4Orlando City34157125950952
5Charlotte FCCharlotte FC34149114637951
6New York City FCNY City34148125449550
7New York Red BullsNY Red Bulls34111495550547
8CF MontrealMontreal341110134864-1643
9Atlanta UnitedAtlanta341010144649-340
10DC United341010145270-1840
11Philadelphia UnionPhiladelphia34910156255737
12Toronto34114194061-2137
13Nashville SCNashville3499163854-1636
14New England RevolutionNew England3494213774-3731
15Chicago Fire3479184062-2230

Western Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Los Angeles FCLos Angeles34197863432064
2Los Angeles GalaxyLA Galaxy34197869501964
3Real Salt LakeSalt Lake341611765481759
4Seattle SoundersSeattle34169951351657
5Houston DynamoHouston34159104739854
6Minnesota UnitedMinnesota Utd34157125849952
7Colorado RapidsColorado34155146160150
8Portland TimbersPortland341211116556947
9Vancouver WhitecapsVancouver34138135249347
10Austin FCAustin34119143948-942
11Dallas34118155456-241
12St Louis City34813135063-1337
13Sporting Kansas CityKansas3487195166-1531
14San Jose EarthquakesEarthquakes3463254178-3721


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!