Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire: Preview, predictions and lineups | OneFootball

Inter Miami's homestand continues as they take on Eastern Conference foes Chicago Fire this weekend at Chase Stadium.

The Herons are fresh off a 3-1 triumph over Toronto FC on Wednesday night without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Winter signing Federico Redondo scored his first two goals for the club while also grabbing an assist to propel Miami to their 15th win of the season as Gerardo 'Tata' Martino's side sit in first place in the Supporters' Shield with 50 points from 24 matches.

On the other side of the matchup, it's been a difficult year for Chicago as they've won just six matches thus far through 24 games played. Frank Klopas' side sit in 13th place with 25 points -- in the exact same position in the Eastern Conference that they were in at the end of the 2023 season. However, Chicago managed to pick up an impressive 1-0 road victory over FC Cincinnati last time out, with Brian Gutierrez bagging the winning goal.

Here's 90min's preview of the Herons vs the Fire.

What time does Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire kick-off?

Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire H2H record (Last Five Games)

Last meeting: Chicago Fire 4-1 Inter Miami (4 October 2023) - MLS

Current form (all competitions)

How to watch Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire on TV and live stream

Inter Miami team news

Lionel Messi is sidelined with an ankle injury / Buda Mendes/GettyImages

Tata Martino will have to make do without Messi for the next month or so, as the 37-year-old picked up a serious ankle injury while playing for Argentina in the Copa America final against Colombia. Veteran defender Serhiy Kryvtsov suffered a calf injury in the win against Toronto, and he's expected to be out until mid August.

Benjamin Cremaschi is all set to depart Miami to join up with the USA U23 national team for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games, while Diego Gomez is also headed to Paris with the Paraguay U23 team.

Key players like Sergio Busquets and Marcelo Weigandt are set to return to the mix this weekend after serving a one-match suspension for their respective red card and yellow card accumulation.

Inter Miami predicted lineup vs Chicago Fire

Inter Miami predicted lineup vs Chicago Fire ( 4-3-3 ): Callender, Weigandt, Aviles, Allen, Alba; Gressel, Busquets, Redondo; Rojas, Suarez, Taylor.

Chicago Fire team news

Andrew Gutman misses the game through injury / Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

The Fire have a host of players dealing with respective leg injuries, as Andrew Gutman, Carlos Teran, Chase Gasper and Federico Navarro are all set to miss the upcoming game. All four players are expected to recover from their leg injuries by early August.

Chicago Fire predicted lineup vs Inter Miami

Chicago Fire predicted lineup vs Inter Miami ( 3-4-3 ): Brady; Souquet, Omsberg, Czichos; Arigoni, Acosta, Gimenez, Dean; Haile-Selassie, Cuypers, Gutierrez.

Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire score prediction

The Fire do have a bit of quality within them, even if they haven't shown it for the majority of the 2024 MLS season. However, Miami will be too much for them when they meet Saturday night in south Florida.

Luis Suarez returns to the XI and bags a brace to propel the Herons to a home victory and a clean sheet as Miami gear up for 2024 Leagues Cup.

Prediction: Inter Miami 2-0 Chicago Fire