Charlotte vs Chicago Fire Best odds and tips

The two sides in this Saturday’s clash of philosophies couldn’t be further apart in terms of their approach to the game. Dean Smith has moulded Charlotte into a pragmatic, low-tempo team since taking over in December 2023. They are a team that is very structured defensively and will wait for their chances to counter-attack or come from set pieces. Gregg Berhalter, who took over as head coach in October 2024, has installed a more adventurous style on the Fire, who play at a moderate-to-high tempo, build from the back and flood men forward in attack. The clash of these two styles should be fascinating to watch and could be a chess match with little room for error.

Charlotte have won two and lost three of their last five games in all competitions, but Chicago Fire come into this game in slightly better form with two wins, one draw and two defeats from their last five. However, the visitors have never won in their last two visits to Charlotte and are on a two-game winning streak. Charlotte have won only one of their last two home games, so their fortress-like reputation has been slightly dented, but Chicago Fire have three wins and three defeats away from home in the USA MLS 2025, conceding a worrying 2.67 goals per game on average.

Hugo Cuypers is in blistering form for the visitors and leads Chicago Fire’s goal charts with eight goals in 12 USA MLS 2025 appearances, four of which have come in his last five games. His recent surge has seen Chicago score nine goals in their last five, so he is a player that Charlotte’s defenders must keep an eye on. Liel Abada is Charlotte’s main goal threat with four goals in 11 league appearances, but he has scored three of those in his last five appearances for the club.