Preview: Chicago Fire vs. Charlotte FC - prediction, team news, lineups

Meanwhile, the away side make the journey aiming to record consecutive wins for the first time since August, having returned to winning ways last time out.

Match preview

Chicago Fire breezed past the challenge of Inter Miami thanks to a comprehensive 4-1 triumph when the teams went head-to-head on Thursday.

Frank Klopas's men got their noses in front four minutes into the second period through Xherdan Shaqiri but were soon pegged back by Josef Martinez, before they edged ahead once again thanks to Maren Haile-Selassie's double after which Shaqiri sealed the deal with his second of the contest.

As a result, the Men in Red have moved up to eighth place in the Eastern Conference of the MLS table, albeit still five points behind the last automatic playoff berth.

Awaiting them next is the task of facing off against an opposing outfit who just about have the upper hand in this fixture, having picked up two wins from the previous three editions.

Off the back of a much-needed home win last time out, Sunday's hosts set out to secure maximum points in front of their fans once again with time running out for them to secure a place in the postseason.

Charlotte ended a six-game winless run in grand style by claiming a 3-0 victory over Toronto FC in Thursday's encounter at the Bank of America Stadium.

A pair of first-half penalties from Karol Swiderski put Christian Lattanzio's men in cruise control before Brecht Dejaegere made sure of the result 10 minutes into the second period.

With 36 points from 31 league outings so far, the Crown sit 13th in the Eastern Conference but remain in contention for a place in the preliminary round of the playoffs.

Having let in 10 goals across their most recent four away matches, Sunday's visitors will need to keep things tight at the back to stand any chance of coming away with a positive outcome here.

Chicago Fire Major League Soccer form:

L

D

L

D

W

W

Charlotte FC Major League Soccer form:

D

D

D

L

L

W

Advert - content below:

Team News

Victor Bezerra and Chris Mueller are both ruled out for Charlotte due to knee injuries, while Mauricio Pineda misses out with a groin problem.

Torres Ramirez missed the victory over Inter Miami through a knock and the Mexican remains an injury doubt for the home side this weekend.

Maren Haile-Selassie made the most of his substitute appearance last time out as he grabbed two goals off the bench which could see him rewarded with a place in the starting XI.

Karol Swiderski will be looking to come up with the goods once again having now netted four times in his last four matches following a two-goal haul against Toronto.

Brandon Cambridge has not featured for the away side since August, and the midfielder is still a considerable way off making his return to action.

Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:

Brady; Dean, Omsberg, Czichos, Navarro; Doumbia, Gimenez; Herbers, Shaqiri, Gutierrez; Koutsias

Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:

Kahlina; Byrne, Malanda, Privett, Uronen; Westwood, Bronico; Jozwiak, Swiderski, Dejaegere; Copetti

We say: Chicago Fire 2-1 Charlotte FC

Both teams are still in with a chance of making the playoffs, and neither of them will need any added motivation to claim all three points here. That said, we are backing the home side to emerge triumphant by a narrow margin.

How to watch

You can watch Chicago Fire vs. Charlotte FC and every MLS match this season live on Apple TV. Click here for more details on how to subscribe.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Previews by email