Chicago Fire vs. Montreal Impact: Preview and How to Watch
By Rohit Menon
Chicago Fire host fellow Eastern Conference side Montreal Impact this weekend with both teams seeking to improve their current league standings.
Montreal Impact will travel away once again as they visit a reinvigorated Chicago Fire team at Toyota Park. Both teams will be striving to avoid a loss in this game; Montreal Impact are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings after picking up two points (0-2-1) in three games, while Chicago Fire has three points (1-1-1) and are above them in seventh.
Chicago Fire
The Chicago Fire look like a much-changed unit in 2017 as compared to the teams of the past two seasons. The presence of Dax McCarty and Juninho as the two hard-working defensive midfielders provides a sense of security to the team. The addition of a German legend in Bastian Schweinsteiger should galvanize the supporters and every player on the team.
Veljko Paunovic’s side started the season brightly with a draw at Columbus Crew and a 2-0 home win over Real Salt Lake, but their last result away to Atlanta United dealt a red card and a loss. The team went down to an own goal early on before Johan Kapelhoff picked up a red card; they ended up losing 4-0 following a second half blitz from the home side.
With a centre-back option unavailable, Jonathan Campbell is certain to start his first game of the season. Michael de Leeuw should make his way back to the team after recovering from a hamstring problem, which means that the Fire is likely to revert back to a 4-2-3-1 formation with Nikolic up top.
Despite taking part in training and being fit to play, Bastian Schweinsteiger hasn’t played a competitive soccer game since February 22. He is expected to come off the bench later on in the second half.
Chicago Fire Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1)
Montreal Impact
It has been a disappointing start to the season for Mauro Biello’s men, who haven’t won a league game yet. After losing the opener 1-0 to the San Jose Earthquakes and squandering a two-goal at home to the Seattle Sounders, Impact showed great team spirit to rescue a point at New York City FC.
There are questions in defense for the Impact since the back four has been quite shaky for the first three games of the season. Laurent Ciman is ruled out after picking up an injury on international duty, so Hassoun Camara is expected to slot into the center alongside Victor Cabrera.
Nacho Piatti will miss out on MLS action for the next few weeks after being ruled out with a groin problem, while Patrice Bernier has overcome his injury but is expected to come off the bench if needed.
This means that the highly rated prospect Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla could get the nod and make his first start of the season; he could be joined by new signing Adrian Arregui, who will slot into the midfield three alongside Donadel and Bernadello.
Montreal Impact Projected Lineup (4-5-1)
All Time Record
5 wins for Montreal Impact, 4 wins for Chicago Fire, 4 draws.
Montreal Impact leads the head to head with one more win than the Chicago Fire (5-4-4). However, the home team has the advantage at the Toyota Park, where they’ve won three, lost one, and drawn two games (3-1-2).
Prediction
All eyes will be on Bastian Schweinsteiger’s home debut so Montreal Impact should expect a ferocious atmosphere at the home stadium and a charged performance from the hosts. The game should end all square though, with both teams not looking to drop more points.
Kickoff time
April 1 2017, Saturday at 3:00 pm ET
Where to watch
MLS Live (USA), CTV (Canada), TVA Sports (Canada), TSN4 (Canada)