Chicago Fire vs DC United Prediction: DC United have a chance

The next match will involve Chicago Fire against D.C. United in a Major League Soccer match on Sunday, September 8, 2024, at Soldier Field. They sit in the lower half of the Western Conference, with Chicago Fire sitting in 14th position, while D.C. United is further ahead in 11th place. With the regular season drawing to a close, both teams are fighting to save their seasons and make a late surge into the playoff positions. This is going to be a heated battle between two desperate sides for points with contrastingly different recent forms and tactical set-ups that might define the result.

The current position and trend of Chicago Fire show that the latter is having a tough season so far. The team has managed to obtain only six victories from 27 matches. It has failed to establish regularity at least in the last five matches, where it has managed just one draw and four losses. Their last outing was the 4-1 home defeat to Inter Miami, a match they had 50% possession but didn't quite have the edge to put away their chances despite creating three big opportunities. The Fire has been particularly vulnerable defensively, conceding in each of their last five matches and allowing over 2.5 goals in all of those matches. That inability to pick up a win in five matches and, quite often, finding themselves behind at halftime-losing the first half in four of their last five-underlines their current struggles.

Chicago Fire will most likely play this match tight due to their defensive issues, so they are expected to line up in some kind of compact defensive shape. It will be a case of trying to keep things tight at the back before hitting D.C. United on the counterattack. Their recent form has shown that even such an approach comes with some limits, as they rarely kept clean sheets and often concede early in the game. They may also look to exploit any weak link in the D.C. United defense, with set pieces and long balls into the box perhaps on full display.

Meanwhile, D.C. United are coming off of a 3-1 win away to Toronto, one that's kept them within reach of the playoff spots. Form-wise, United are much, much better - three wins in their last five matches. Having said that, they have also been pretty shaky at the back this term and have conceded in their last three; moreover, eight of their last ten matches have seen over 2.5 goals scored in them. Despite their defensive frailties, D.C. United has been pretty clinical in terms of scoring first in four of the last five matches, which is fairly indicative of their more proactive and aggressive intent compared to their hosts.

D.C. United will probably be more aggressive and front-foot to make the most of those defensive vulnerabilities that Chicago has. The fact that they scored first in recent games does show they press high and really try to dominate the early stages of the game. Overcommitting, though, is something that they will have to watch out for, as their defense has shown weaknesses, especially in terms of counterattacks and set-pieces. United could be way more emphatic about transitions and quick plays out wide to pull Chicago's defense this way and that, opening up gaps for their attackers.

Historically, this fixture has gone D.C. United's way with 7 wins against 5 victories for Chicago Fire, with 8 draws between the sides. Of late, D.C. United has come out unscathed on three consecutive occasions against Chicago Fire. These matches have tended to be low-scoring affairs with under 2.5 goals occurring in four of the last five games. The games also tend to be quite tight in terms of set-pieces, too - four of the last five meetings have seen less than 10.5 corners.

In that case, the recent form and an ability to score the first goal gives an edge in this fixture to D.C. United. Although Chicago Fire have home advantage, their defensive issues and lack of recent wins mean United might just come away with a narrow win.

In addition, considering recent form from both teams for goals, a "Both Teams to Score" bet is highly likely as Chicago has conceded in each of their last five and D.C United in three. A bet on "Over 2.5 Goals" looks good since both teams have featured in high-scoring matches recently.

• Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.6 Odds
• Away Win or Draw & GG @ 2.51 Odds
• DC United DNB @ 2.60 Odds