With a massive three points up for grabs in the MLS playoff race, CF Montreal will host the Chicago Fire at Saputo Stadium on Saturday in their second of three successive matches at home.
Le CFM were beaten 4-2 in their previous encounter by the Columbus Crew, as they are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference, two points above the Fire for a playoff spot after Chicago were hammered 4-0 by DC United.
Match preview
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Montreal are cutting it close but for the moment remain above the playoff line, though only four points currently separate them in eighth from Charlotte FC, who are 11th.
While they lost their last home contest against the Crew, their results at home this season are the reason this team remain in a playoff position, having triumphed nine times in Montreal over this domestic campaign, with 27 of their 35 points occurring in La Belle Province.
Getting that opening goal has often determined the success of this group throughout 2023, with their 14 regular-season defeats coming after conceding first, while their 10 triumphs have all occurred when they have drawn first blood.
With nine victories at home in this competition, they have equalled their entire output from the previous regular season, while another triumph this weekend would put them into double-digits regarding home wins for the first time in a single domestic campaign since 2018 (11).
Four of their remaining seven encounters this year will occur at Saputo Stadium, where Hernan Losada's men have conceded a goal or fewer in 11 of their last 12 domestic encounters.
Half of their defeats this season (7/14) have come against teams that currently have fewer points than Le CFM, with Montreal failing to score in six of those losses.
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From a side that was once on the rise and in control of their playoff destiny heading into the Leagues Cup, Chicago's fortunes have changed dramatically, losing four successive MLS encounters since that tournament concluded.
That matches their longest losing streak in this competition from 2022, while another defeat this weekend would signal their longest run without a point domestically since 2018, when they lost eight in a row.
The Fire were on a three-match winning run before the commencement of the Leagues Cup, collecting a clean sheet in each of those triumphs, but they have only netted once in their four matches since then, while conceding 11 themselves.
Throughout the 2023 campaign, Chicago have struggled to keep the opposition at bay away from home, conceding multiple strikes in eight encounters played outside of the Windy City, losing their last three road fixtures by a combined score of 10-1.
That does not bode well for Frank Klopas's side in their quest for a first playoff berth since 2017, given that four of their remaining seven matches take place away from home.
They have not won a regular-season encounter in Canada since defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 at BC Place Stadium in July 2022, while the Fire have not won a match played in Montreal since 2017 (1-0), losing their last four visits to Saputo Stadium.
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Team News
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Robert Thorkelsson sat out of the previous Montreal encounter because of an adductor strain, Aaron Herrera was sidelined with a sore ankle and Romell Quioto was unavailable once again as he continues to struggle with a hamstring injury.
Captain Samuel Piette set a new club record for games played by a field player in Major League Soccer, with the Canadian featuring for the 152nd time in their defeat to Columbus, Zachary Brault-Guillard collected his 100th regular season cap with Le CFM in that encounter, Ousman Jabang started for the first time in an MLS fixture and Fernando Alvarez made his league debut, replacing Jabang at the beginning of the second half.
Jules-Anthony Vilsaint scored his first career MLS goal in their defeat against the Crew, while he also collected his first assist in this competition when Kwadwo Opoku scored what was the 700th goal in the history of this club (373 in the second division and 327 in MLS).
Victor Bezerra and Javier Casas missed another encounter for Chicago the last time out because of right lower leg issues, Chris Mueller remains sidelined with a sore right upper leg and Jonathan Dean continues to recover from a left upper leg injury.
Former Montreal striker Kei Kamara made his 415th career MLS appearance in their defeat to DC United, moving into fourth on that all-time list, while he remains one goal away from matching Landon Donovan for the second-most in league history, with the Sierra Leone product currently stuck on 144.
Xherdan Shaqiri and fellow Swiss player Maren Haile-Selassie each had a goal and an assist in their only previous encounter versus Le CFM this season, with the winner coming courtesy of Brian Gutierrez, while Chris Brady stopped four shots to collect a clean sheet in a 3-0 triumph.
CF Montreal possible starting lineup:
Sirois; Waterman, Campbell, Corbo; Brault-Guillard, Piette, Miljevic, Choiniere; Duke; Opoku, Lassiter
Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:
Brady; Souquet, Pineda, Czichos, M. Navarro; Herbers, F. Navarro; Torres, Shaqiri, Haile-Selassie; Kamara
We say: CF Montreal 2-0 Chicago Fire
Throughout the 2023 domestic campaign, Le CFM have been relatively solid defensively at Saputo Stadium with eight clean sheets, and we believe they will be able to contain a Chicago side that have been poor both defensively and in the attack since the end of the Leagues Cup.
How to watch
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