Inter Miami Face Tough Home Test Against Chicago Fire

Inter Miami will still be without David Ruiz due to a knee injury. Lionel Messi and fellow Argentina international Rodrigo De Paul are both expected to miss this match after returning from World Cup duty.

Chicago Fire have Andrew Gutman listed on the injury report.

After a five-week league break, Inter Miami resume action sitting second in the Eastern Conference with 31 points from 15 matches. Their last outing was a 6-4 home win over Philadelphia Union, extending their current winning run to four games, although it was only their second home victory since moving into their new stadium.

Chicago Fire's last league match came on May 24, when they beat Toronto FC 2-1 at home. Robin Lod opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before the visitors equalised 12 minutes later. Andrew Gutman then struck the winner in the 65th minute, lifting Chicago Fire up to third in the East. The team are now on a three-match winning streak and have gone 7 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats in their last 10 league games.

Inter Miami have lost only once in their last 14 league matches, posting 9 wins and 4 draws in that span, but they have not held much of an edge over Chicago Fire in recent meetings. The pick here leans toward a draw, with Chicago Fire on the handicap also worth consideration.

In head-to-head results, Chicago Fire thrashed Inter Miami 5-3 last season, and the other meeting ended 0-0 at Chicago's home ground. Across the last five league meetings, both sides have 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses.