Atlanta United can extend their unbeaten run at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to four games on Saturday when they host the Chicago Fire, who have points in four consecutive MLS affairs.
Last weekend, the Five Stripes ended a two-game road trip with a 2-2 draw at Toronto, while Chicago squandered a 2-0 lead, tying the Philadelphia Union by that same score.
Match preview
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If all you have watched of Atlanta lately was the post-match comments of Gonzalo Pineda, then you probably would not know that this team are currently third in the Eastern Conference, just two points behind FC Cincinnati and the New England Revolution for first.
The ex-Seattle Sounders assistant coach was none too pleased with the result his side produced in Toronto, as they had two one-goal leads but failed to hold on, squandering four points from winning positions in their previous two fixtures.
They have not suffered as many injuries to this point of the campaign as they did in 2022, but Atlanta were missing some vital pieces against TFC last week.
Despite that, the Five Stripes put plenty of pressure on their opponents over their two-game trip while disrupting the pressure put on them when in possession.
In four home matches this season, Atlanta United have claimed 10 out of a possible 12 points and outscored their opponents by a total of 9-3.
Since entering the league in 2017, they have owned the Fire at home in this competition, unbeaten in five previous MLS affairs against them at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, scoring 15 goals over that stretch while conceding only three.
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After seven matches this season, we are seeing something we rarely witnessed from Chicago near the tail end of 2022, positive growth.
With 10 points to date, Ezra Hendrickson's men have accumulated the same amount as they had at this stage of last season, though they have looked a lot more dangerous and deadly when in possession in 2023, scoring multiple goals on four occasions.
Chicago have scored 10 goals in seven regular-season encounters this season, twice as many as they managed at this stage of the previous campaign.
Before the start of the season, Hendrickson said that his team would play possession soccer. However, the Fire have not been able to execute that tactic as much as he would like, claiming fewer than 60% possession in each of their games, and under 50% total on four occasions.
At the moment, they are holding down a playoff position, sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference, and that alone has to be encouraging, seeing as this franchise have not qualified for the postseason since 2017.
If you support the Fire, there is a lot to like about where they sit, but in the long run, some of their early missed opportunities could come back to bite them, with Chicago squandering four points when leading in the second half, while also dropping a point in the 90th minute last month, failing 1-0 to the Philadelphia Union.
Team News
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Thiago Almada, who is tied for the league lead in assists (five), sat out of the previous Five Stripes' encounter due to a lower leg injury, though he could be healthy enough to return on Saturday, Brad Guzan will be sidelined for the long-term with an MCL sprain and Osvaldo Alonso is not expected to return until early May from an ACL issue.
Giorgos Giakoumakis has a goal in three successive fixtures, as he and Machop Chol each found the back of the net versus the Reds, while Quentin Westberg had a less-than-ideal debut, conceding on two of the four shots fired his way against his former team, allowing a 94th-minute equaliser from Brandon Servania.
In this exact fixture last season, Atlanta got a hat-trick from former striker Ronaldo Cisneros and a goal courtesy of Brooks Lennon, with Almada and Luiz Araujo each adding an assist in a 4-1 victory.
Jairo Torres, Victor Bezerra and Federico Navarro sat out of the previous Chicago fixture with upper leg issues, while Xherdan Shaqiri returned to the lineup, replacing Brian Gutierrez for the final 25-plus minutes.
Maren Haile-Selassie registered his first goal in a Fire uniform last Saturday, with Miguel Navarro collecting his first assist of the season, while Philly's Nathan Harriel helped them out with an own-goal early in the second half.
Fabian Herbers returned to the starting 11 for Chicago in their previous encounter, playing alongside Gaston Gimenez as a holding midfielder, while Kei Kamara started for a second successive match after notching a brace in a 2-1 victory over Minnesota United.
Atlanta United possible starting lineup:
Westberg; Lennon, Robinson, Purata, Wiley; Sosa, Rossetto; Araujo, Almada, Etienne; Giakoumakis
Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:
Brady; Souquet, Burks, Czichos, M. Navarro; Pineda, Gimenez; Haile-Selassie, Shaqiri, Mueller; Kamara
We say: Atlanta United 3-0 Chicago Fire
While each have left points on the table, the Five Stripes seem to be finding more consistency and still looked fairly sharp last week without Almada.
Chicago have not been quite as solid from one game to another, and Chris Brady has made numerous blunders in goal which are absolute momentum killers and something which we think Atlanta could capitalise on.
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Top tip
Joel Lefevre
