Matchday 16 of MLS sees a highly anticipated encounter, as Inter Miami take on Chicago Fire at Nu Stadium in Miami on Wednesday. Both teams are near the top of the Eastern Conference table.
Inter Miami CF, spearheaded by Argentinian legend Lionel Messi, are in second place on the Eastern Conference standings with 31 points from 15 games, five points behind table-topping Nashville.
In the overall MLS table, Inter Miami are in fourth place, and they continue to fight for the title, with only five points separating them from the top of the table.
The Herons have won their last four MLS matches, with their most recent encounter being a 6-4 win over Philadelphia on 25 May that featured a hat-trick from Luis Suarez, a brace from German Berterame, and a goal from Rodrigo De Paul.
While Messi and De Paul will not be available for this match, as they have just concluded the World Cup with Argentina and will only rejoin the Inter Miami squad in the coming weeks, Guillermo Hoyos' team has the squad depth and quality to compete with any team in the league.
Meanwhile, Chicago Fire have shown impressive consistency to earn 26 points from 14 matches this season, sitting third in the Eastern Conference standings and sixth in the overall MLS table.
Only five points separate the Fire from Inter Miami, so this match is a high-stakes battle between two sides who have the MLS title in sight.
Gregg Berhalter's men last played an MLS game back in May, with the Fire beating Toronto 2-1 to secure three points.
The MLS game between the Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps at Soldier Field last week was postponed due to poor air quality from smoke resulting from Canadian wildfires, so new signing Robert Lewandowski will make his debut in this game.
Inter Miami have shown that they are great goalscorers, with numerous high-scoring matches this season. However, their defense has not been as solid as they would like, with 28 goals conceded, pointing to some vulnerabilities at the back.
In comparison, Chicago Fire have only let 16 goals in thus far in MLS, so they have a better defensive structure than their opponents from Miami.
Both teams have shown that they are adept at making the most of counterattacks, so while we see goals on both sides of the pitch, we expect this match to end in a win for Inter Miami.
Prediction: Inter Miami CF 2-1 Chicago Fire
Tip 1: Inter Miami to win
Tip 2: Both teams to score
Tip 3: Over 2.5 goals
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