FC Cincinnati vs. Chicago Fire Betting Preview – MLS, September 2, 2020

Cincinnati and Chicago meet for the second time in just over a week on Wednesday, and it’s safe to say the Orange and Blue will be out for revenge following the Fire’s 3-0 victory in their previous encounter.

The Illinois club saw off Cincinnati with ease last week, but Chicago has suffered a couple of heavy defeats since the regular season returned. Can a stubborn Cincinnati outfit retaliate? You can find my FC Cincinnati vs. Chicago Fire prediction and betting pick below.

Yes, Chicago beat Jaap Stam’s side comfortably last week. But let’s not forget that Cincinnati still sits one point ahead of the Fire in the Eastern Conference standings. The top online sportsbooks view the away side as the favorite to win this matchup, but I don’t think securing back-to-back wins over Cincinnati is going to be easy.

Let’s take a closer look at both sides.

After securing famous – and very unexpected – victories over heavyweights Atlanta United and New York Red Bulls at the MLS is Back Tournament, Cincinnati returned to regular-season action with a goalless draw against DC United. The Orange and Blue was then defeated by Chicago, but the team bounced back with an impressive draw against high-flying Columbus last time out.

The Crew currently sits second in the Eastern Conference, but Stam’s men were able to limit Columbus to very few clear-cut goalscoring opportunities. Sure, Cincinnati may not score too many goals. But their defense has been extremely solid this year. Stam played as a center-back for the likes of Manchester United, Lazio, and AC Milan, and his know-how is clearly rubbing off on his players.

It’s difficult to know what to expect from Chicago from one game to the next. Having picked up one point from a possible six before the campaign suspended, the Illinois club failed to make it out of their group at the MLS is Back Tournament. The Fire’s sole victory since then was the win over Cincinnati, with heavy defeats to Columbus (3-0) and New York City (3-1) coming either side.

Chicago has either scored or conceded three goals in each of their previous three outings, and that is not a statistic that will please manager Raphael Wicky. In fact, the Fire has already conceded 14 goals this year, leaving the club with the poorest defensive record in the division.

Cincinnati will be desperate to make amends following their defeat to Chicago last week, and while a win may be out of reach, I’m confident that the Orange and Blue can come away with a point this time around. Stam’s side has shown great resilience in recent draws against DC United and Columbus, while Chicago’s heavy defeats to Columbus and New York City exposed the team’s weaknesses.