Seeking to pick up their first win of the new MLS campaign, Chicago Fire take a trip to the DRV PNK Stadium to go head to head with Inter Miami on Saturday night.
The Herons, on the other hand, will head into the weekend looking to snap their two-game losing streak and make it three wins from three home matches this season.
Match preview
Having stormed into the 2023 Major League Soccer campaign, Inter Miami appear to have quickly run out of steam as their goal on Saturday evening will be to avoid a third consecutive defeat and arrest their slump.
Goals from Serhiy Kryvtsov and Shanyder Borgelin gave the Herons a 2-0 win over CF Montreal in February's league opener before claiming a similar 2-0 victory over Philadelphia Union a week later.
However, Phil Neville's men were sent crashing back to earth on March 12 as they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of New York City FC, with Christopher McVey turning the ball into his own goal to hand the Pigeons their first win of the season.
This was followed by last Sunday's 2-0 defeat against Toronto FC at BMO Field, where Jonathan Osorio and Mark-Anthony Kaye found the target to hand Bob Bradley's side their first win since last August.
While they have suffered a drop-off in recent weeks, Inter Miami will draw optimism from their league form at the DRV PNK Stadium, where they are unbeaten in eight of their last nine matches, claiming seven wins and one draw since last July.
Elsewhere, Chicago Fire were left spitting feathers last Sunday when they were held to a thrilling 3-3 draw by FC Cincinnati after throwing away a two-goal lead in the closing six minutes of normal time.
After falling behind to Junior Moreno's early strike, Kacper Przybylko, Rafael Czichos and Chris Mueller scored in succession to turn the tie on its head before Sergio Santos and Moreno scored in a late three-minute spell to level matters.
For the Chicago outfit, this was a second share of the spoils in two matches at Soldier Field Stadium this season after kicking off their new campaign with a 1-1 draw against New York City FC on March 5.
Sandwiched between the two home draws, Chicago Fire journeyed to Subaru Park on Match 12, where they suffered a 1-0 loss to Philadelphia Union courtesy of a 90th-minute winner from Argentine forward Joaquin Torres.
Ezra Hendrickson's men have now failed to win any of their last six matches across all competitions, picking up four draws and losing twice since their 4-0 steamrolling of Sacramento Republic when the sides squared off in pre-season on February 9.
However, Chicago Fire will fancy their chances of ending this dry spell as Saturday's game pits them against an Inter Miami side who are winless in three of their last four encounters, losing twice and claiming one draw since May 2021.
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Team News
Inter Miami will be without several key players down the spine of the team as the likes of Ian Fray (ACL), Shanyder Borgelin (ankle) and Leonardo Campana (calf) are all recuperating from injuries.
Brazilian midfielder Gregore missed last Sunday's trip to Toronto FC through an ankle issue, while Robbie Robinson has been sidelined since last May.
While Edison Azcona is yet to feature this year through a hamstring injury, teenage midfielder Noah Allen came off with an MCL injury in January's friendly against Vasco da Gama.
Veteran attacker Xherdan Shaqiri is a major doubt for Chicago Fire after the former Liverpool man was absent from last week's matchday squad against Philadelphia through injury.
Hendrickson will also be unable to call upon the duo of Federico Navarro and 22-year-old Jairo Torres, who are both currently recuperating from leg injuries.
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
Callender; Yedlin, Kryvtsov, McVey, Negri; Mota, Duke; Jean, Ulloa, Pizarro; Martinez
Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:
Brady; Souquet, Teran, Czichos, Burks; Gimenez, Pineda; Monis, Gutierrez, Mueller; Przybylko
We say: Inter Miami 2-1 Chicago Fire
While Chicago Fire will be looking to get up and running, they face an Inter Miami side who have often shown resilience on their home turf. While the Herons have struggled for form in recent weeks, we see them prevailing against the floundering Chicago Fire side.
How to watch
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