Fresh off the back of reaching the US Open Cup fourth round, Chicago Fire return to action in the MLS on Saturday when they play host to New York Red Bulls at Soldier Field.
The Red Bulls have endured a slow start to the new campaign and will head into the weekend looking to end their run of five straight matches without a win.
Match preview
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Chicago Fire kicked off their 2023 US Open Cup campaign in style as they picked up a comfortable 3-0 victory over Chicago House in the third round on Thursday morning.
In a one-sided affair at Soldier Field, Kacper Przybylko put the hosts ahead with a 26th-minute strike before Kendall Burks scored in either half to cap off a fine team performance.
Ezra Hendrickson will hope that his side's cup win can serve as a springboard for a fine run of form as they turn their attention to MLS, where they have endured a slow start to the season.
Chicago Fire fell to a 2-1 defeat against Atlanta United at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in their most recent league outing on April 23 which brought their five-match unbeaten run to an end.
However, the Fire head into the weekend unbeaten in seven consecutive home games, picking up two wins and four since their 3-2 loss against Charlotte FC last September.
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On the other hand, New York Red Bulls' early-season struggles continued last weekend when they were beaten 2-0 by 10-man CF Montreal at the Saputo Stadium.
In a game where Ilias Iliadis received his marching orders, Andres Reyes scored a 25th-minute own goal to gift the hosts the lead before Mathieu Choiniere put the result beyond doubt in the second minute of stoppage time.
The Red Bulls are now gone five straight matches without a win, losing twice and claiming three draws since their 2-1 victory over Columbus Crew at the Red Bull Arena on March 19.
Gerhard Struber's men have picked up one win, five draws and lost three of their nine matches so far to collect eight points and sit 13th in the Eastern Conference table, two points and three places behind Saturday's hosts.
New York Red Bulls' slow start to the season has been owing to their struggles on the road, where they have failed to win any of their five matches this season, claiming just two points from a possible 15.
Team News
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Jairo Torres was hauled off injured midway through the season opener against New York City FC and the Chicago Fire midfielder is out of contention for this weekend's clash.
He is joined on the club's injury table by Victor Bezerra and teenage defender Justin Reynolds, who are currently recuperating from leg and ankle problems respectively.
As for New York Red Bulls, they head into the weekend with a lengthy injury list as the likes of Serge Ngoma (hamstring), Steven Sserwadda (knee) and Matthew Nocita (hamstring) all continue their spells on the sidelines.
Frankie Amaya has missed the last two matches due to an ankle injury, while Brazilian forward Luquinhas picked up a groin problem in the game against Atlanta United on April 2.
Lewis Morgan is set to sit out his seventh consecutive game after picking up a hip injury in March's game versus Minnesota United.
Dante Vanzeir is also out of this weekend's game as he serves the third of his six-match suspension after using racist language in the game against the San Jose Earthquakes on April 9.
Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:
Brady; Souquet, Czichos, Teran; Gimenez, Haile-Selassie, Gutierrez, Dean, Shaquiri; Koutsias, Kamara
New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:
Coronel; Reyes, Nealis, Tolkin; Edelman, Casseres Jr., Duncan, Fernandez, Harper; Carmona, Burke
We say: Chicago Fire 1-0 New York Red Bulls
Chicago Fire head into the weekend fresh off the back of a resounding cup victory and will be looking to build on that result. New York Red Bulls have struggled to get going, particularly on the road, where they are yet to pick up a win this season. We predict a cagey affair at Soldier Field, with the holds claiming a slender victory to heap more misery on the Red Bulls.
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Joshua Ojele
