USA - Major League Soccer
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by Bradley Gibbs in Major League Soccer Picks
The 2025 Major League Soccer playoffs are upon us. After a long regular season, it's now all about paving a way to MLS Cup Final. Before we get the best-of-three series underway, we have the shootout games. Kicking things off on Wednesday evening will be Chicago Fire and Orlando City, who'll clash at Soldier Field, where the Fire will be hoping that home advantage helps them to get over the line and into the next stage of the postseason.
When the regular season was all said and done, there was very little between these two teams, with the Chicagoo Fire finishing eighth in the Eastern Conference, slotting in ahead of Wednesday's visitors on goal difference alone. Will the two teams be as closely matched when they take to the field in Illinois? Time will soon tell.
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Chicago Fire vs Orlando City SC Form
Chicago Fire and Orlando City SC Latest Matches
3/6 (50%)
2/6 (33%)
1/6 (17%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
Oct 18, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Oct 4, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 30, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 27, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 20, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 13, 2025 - Major League Soccer
3/6 (50%)
2/6 (33%)
1/6 (17%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
Oct 4, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 27, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 13, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 6, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Aug 16, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Aug 9, 2025 - Major League Soccer
3/6 (50%)
2/6 (33%)
1/6 (17%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
Oct 18, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 30, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 20, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Aug 23, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Jul 19, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Jul 16, 2025 - Major League Soccer
1/6 (17%)
3/6 (50%)
2/6 (33%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
Oct 18, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Oct 11, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Oct 4, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 28, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 20, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 13, 2025 - Major League Soccer
4/6 (67%)
1/6 (17%)
1/6 (17%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
Oct 11, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Oct 4, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 20, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Aug 16, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Aug 10, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Aug 6, 2025 - Leagues Cup
0/6 (0%)
2/6 (33%)
4/6 (67%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
Oct 18, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 28, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Sep 13, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Aug 31, 2025 - Leagues Cup
Aug 27, 2025 - Leagues Cup
Aug 23, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Chicago Fire against Orlando City SC : Head to Head (H2H)
17 %
33 %
50 %
Average stats (last H2H results)
May 31, 2025 - Major League Soccer
May 3, 2025 - Major League Soccer
Jun 22, 2024 - Major League Soccer
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Aug 20, 2023 - Major League Soccer
Jul 1, 2023 - Major League Soccer
Chicago Fire - Orlando City SC: Form Analysis
It was definitely the hosts who finished the campaign in better style, with the Fire avoiding defeat in each of their final five regular season games. They managed to emerge successful from three of those five, though they now head into this huge game off the back of consecutive ties, tying 2-2 with Toronto FC at home, before finishing the regular season with a 2-2 tie in New England. Such form doesn't exactly suggest that they'll make light work of this tricky assignment.
Then again, it's not as if the late-season form of the visitors certainly doesn't point towards away-day dominance in Chicago. The Lions fell over the lines as far as finishing in the top nine is concerned, losing each of their last two regular-season games, failing to win any of their last four. They'll definitely need to step on the gas to get it done at Soldier Field.
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Chicago Fire against Orlando City SC Lineups: Starting 11
Formation : 4 - 3 - 3
Formation : 4 - 4 - 2
Missing players
L. Barroso
V. Radojevic
MidfielderA. Franco
ForwardC. Mueller
T. Reid-Brown
MidfielderJ. Gerbet
W. Cartagena
S. Mohammed
ForwardG. Caraballo
Y. Tsukada
Chicago Fire & Orlando City SC Squad Analysis
The hosts will continue to be without the services of Leonardo Barroso, who sustained an injury against the Columbus Crew recently, while Andre France is also out having picked up a knock against Inter Miami. Chris Mueller continues as a long-term absentee, as does Viktor Radojevic. Thankfully, there are no serious injury concerns for head coach for Gregg Berhalter to contend with, leaving the former Stars and Stripes boss to field what is pretty much his best XI.
The visitors have only one genuinely serious injury right now, with midfielder destroyer Wilder Cartagena out with a achilles tendon problem. Youngster Gustavo Carabello is also out, while Joran Gerbet is another absentee. Oscar Pareja can still pick a strong side, though, so if the visitors lose this, it won't be because of injury issues.
Most goals and assists
Chicago Fire
Orlando City SC
H. Cuypers
(19 Goals)
M. Ojeda
(16 Goals)
P. Zinckernagel
(15 Assists)
M. Ojeda
(11 Assists)
Chicago Fire - Orlando City SC Key Points
- When the pair last met, back in June, four goals were scored.
- Each of Chicago's last three games has contained at least four goals.
- Four or more goals have been scored in five of Chicago's last six MLS games at Soldier Field.
- The visitors have regularly been involved in high-scoring games away from home this season.
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Our Chicago Fire vs Orlando City SC Prediction
As far as I'm concerned, the overriding factor here is that neither team can defend sufficiently, and I'm just not sure that the early market is quite factoring in the importance of this enough. Both teams have struggled massively at the back in recent weeks, which means that neither can really afford to rely on any sort of defensive ability to get over the line here.
It's do or die for both, so don't be surprised to see both teams go for it, which could quite easily lead to a high-scoring game, which is exactly what happened when the pair shared four goals back in June. Our Chicago Fire vs Orlando City Pick: Over 3.0 Asian Total.
Chicago Fire vs Orlando City SC - Other Interesting Picks
Philip Zinckernagel to Receive a Card
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