Chicago Fire will play host to Club de Foot Montreal on Saturday, May 29, at Soldier Field. The hosts enter this match off their first victory of the season and will hope they can make it two in a row against the Canadian side.
Chicago Fire vs Club de Foot Montreal
When: Saturday, May 29 – 12:00 CDT
Where: Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois
Weather: Sunny,14°C
Referee: Victor Rivas
Last time out, we sided with DC United against Chicago Fire, which proved to be the right call as Chicago ended up losing that bout 0-1. The Fire have since played Inter Miami, who they beat 1-0.
After securing their first victory of the season, Chicago Fire should feel confident ahead of their clash with Club de Foot Montreal, who enter this bout on a two-game losing streak.
Last time out, Montreal and Chicago parted ways with a 2-2 draw. However, the Canadian side have not defeated Chicago on the road since 2017 – can they break that streak?
Chicago Fire Feeling Confident
Chicago Fire took vital three points from their last round victory against Inter Miami. It was a massive victory for Raphael Wicky’s men, who still have a long way to climb up the MLS ladder.
Chicago are 13th in the league with a 1-1-4 record and only four points. This ties them with FC Cincinnati, who sit firmly at the bottom of the table.
In their four rounds leading up to the victory against inter, Chicago Fire lost to Atalanta Utd (1-3), New York Red Bulls (0-2), Philadelphia Union (0-2), and DC United (0-1).
Regardless of their poor run, you can’t look past just how good Chicago were in their clash with Inter. They had 57% ball possession and shot the ball 4/20, with 1/7 on target.
Although not exactly spectacular numbers, we were most impressed with the Fire’s change of playstyle, focusing more on dominating the midfield and denying their opponents to gain momentum.
Montreal Locked Out of Their Country
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, all Canadian MLS sides need to play their home games in the US. That includes Club de Foot Montreal.
Montreal enter this match with a 2-2-3 record and eight points. That’s good for a seventh-place in the league, where they’re tied with New York City, Columbus Crew, and Inter Miami.
In seven games played, Montreal have scored nine goals and conceded just as many. In their last two, however, Montreal conceded three and scored only once.
Wilfried Nancy’s men lost both of their last two outings. That includes a 0-1 loss to Atalanta Utd and a 1-2 loss to FC Cincinnati on Saturday. With their loss to Atalanta. Montreal are now 1-1-2 on the road, with their sole away win coming against Inter Miami (2-0).
Although Montreal’s record might not seem particularly bad on paper, we have to note that they’ve lost against a team that have managed only one point from their last four (Cincinnati). And that was at their “home” stadium.
Montreal’s biggest issue is the lack of goalscoring options. Nine goals in seven games is decent enough, but it’s becoming self-evident that they lack a proper star that would consistently produce goals for them.
They lost that figure with the departure of Maximiliano Urruti, who left for Houston Dynamo, where he has produced three goals on the season.
Chicago Fire vs Club de Foot Montreal Betting Picks
Chicago Fire and Club de Foot Montreal last clashed in October 2020, when they parted ways with a 2-2 draw. In the four games prior, each side secured two Ws apiece.
While playing at home, Chicago are 3-1-1 against Montreal across the last five years, with a 10-6 goal difference. That alone indicates that they should have an edge for this match, and you can’t look past the fact that Montreal are 1-1-2 in away games on the season.
Montreal took points from only two teams on the road – Inter Miami (2-0) and Nashville SC (2-2). On the other side, Chicago are 1-1-1 at home on the season with a win against inter (1-0) and a 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution.
Chicago Fire failed to impress this season, but their commanding victory against inter should give them the morale boost to produce another solid showing tonight.
Prediction: Chicago Fire -0.50 Asian Handicap
