Inter Miami‘s on the road to Illinois, aiming to fan the Chicago Fire and clinch 3 crucial points on Saturday. The Herons will need to carry forward their winning spirit in the upcoming fixture to further cement their chances of lifting the Eastern Conference shield. But the hosts would also give their all to ensure visitors don’t return easily with all the points.

Chicago Fire is coming with a 2-2 against New York City. Before this fixture, they had endured an unfortunate exit from the Leagues Cup within the group stages. Frank Klopas’ side is in 13th place with just a tally of 26. Meanwhile, Inter Miami sits at the top of the table with a tally of 56 points.

It just took 6 minutes for Luis Suarez to settle a 2-0 win for Tata Martino and Co. against the mighty Cincinnati. With the win, the Herons not only successfully took revenge from the Orange and Blue for the 6-1 loss they endured back in July, but they also increased the point gap to 8 points, getting a major boost in the title race.

Chicago vs Inter Miami: Team News

Injuries

Chicago Fire

Chase Gasper remains sidelined for the time being as the left-back continues to nurse his leg injury. Joining the defender is also star forward Fabian Herbers, who also remains out due to a knock on his leg. The rest are available at Frank Klopas’ disposal to stop the in-form Miami.

Inter Miami

Injuries seem to have taken a toll on Inter Miami. Speaking about the man of the hour, there is some good news regarding Lionel Messi. Having been out for more than a month due to a blow on the ankle he sustained in Copa America action, the skipper has officially returned to training. It’s questionable that he will be playing in this fixture as there hardly remains a chance Tata Martino will risk him for even a few minutes of action.

Speaking about other absentees, defender duo Facundo Farías and Nicolás Freire are out of a blow in their knee. Additionally, Leo Afonso is nursing his groin while Lawson Sunderland is healing his hamstring blow. Though the injury list ends here, Tomas Aviles will miss the Chicago clash after he was sent off in the previous game within the first half.

Potential lineups

Chicago Fire [3-4-3]: Brady; Czichos, Teran, Souquet; Gutman, Giminez, Acosta, Arigoni; Gutierrez, Cuypers, Haile-Selassie

Inter Miami [4-3-3]: Callender; Weigandt, Martinez, Kryvtsov, Alba; Bright, Busquets, Redondo; Rojas, Suarez, Gomez

Head-to-head stats

Total matches played: 7

Won by Chicago Fire: 4

Won by Inter Miami: 2

Draw: 1

Inter Miami looks in pretty good shape, that too, in the absence of Lionel Messi. Similar would be a day today when we see Martino’s side give their best in a contest that surely won’t be easy. We reckon the score will be Chicago Fire 2-3 Inter Miami.

Watch Chicago Fire vs Inter Miami on TV channel and live stream

Chicago Fire vs Inter Miami will kick off at 7:30 ET. Fans in the United States and the United Kingdom can watch the action live on Apple TV (MLS Season Pass).