Necaxa backed to punish shaky Chicago Fire

The Leagues Cup continues on Friday morning, with Chicago Fire hosting Necaxa. Chicago have been conceding regularly and their defensive displays have been worrying, so they do not look like a reliable pick against a Necaxa side that has shown solid attacking form of late.

Chicago Fire are no longer carrying the momentum they had earlier. Across their last three matches, they have managed just one win and two defeats, with both losses seeing them concede three goals apiece. Their attack-first, defend-later tendency has been especially evident, as they have now let in goals in four straight matches. In each of those games, they were breached in the first half, underlining a clear lack of concentration in the back line.

Although Necaxa lost to Toluca in their last outing, that result does not erase what has otherwise been a strong recent spell. Over their last seven matches in all competitions, they have posted four wins, two draws and one defeat, while scoring in five of those games. They have also found the net in each of their last three matches. Julian Carranza is the player to watch, having scored in three consecutive games. Given his excellent form, he could be a major problem for Chicago Fire's shaky defence, and an away win for Necaxa would not be a surprise.