Tip San Jose Earthquakes - Chicago Fire

San Jose Earthquakes host the Chicago Fire in a fixture where form is lacking in both teams. With San Jose occupying last place in the Western Conference and the Chicago outfit being second to last in the Eastern, it is a must win game from both, as they look to kick start their campaigns. The hosts are on a poor run of form at the moment. No wins in five and just five points gathered in their last five league games, it is a critical situation for the home side who have however played their last four games away. When it comes to their home form, it is much more encouraging than their position would suggest. They have taken four wins in their last five and are unbeaten in their last eight at the Paypal Park, having lost just once there in this season’s MLS campaign. They have however not played at their home ground in more than a month, with last week’s California Clasico against LA Galaxy rescheduled due to a power outage at Stanford Stadium.

Chicago are not impressing either currently. Despite recording two wins in their last three games, including a surprising home win against leaders Philadelphia Union (which also ended its unbeaten streak), these are their only two wins in their last fourteen competitive games. The resurgence of marquee signing Xherdan Shaqiri has been synonymous with the team’s mini revival of late, and his performances will be pivotal should Chicago Fire want to build on that streak. Things are even worse away from home, with the Fire having lost six of their last seven, failing to score in four of those. They have also conceded at least two goals in five of their last six games away from Chicago. With regards to the history of their recent meetings at the Paypal Park, Chicago have lost three of the last four, with all games featuring Over 2.5 goals and both teams scoring.