In the central match of MLS Round 16, Inter Miami will host Chicago Fire. This is a clash of two of the league's best attacks: the second team in the East with 39 goals against the third with 27. Both teams entered the break in stellar form, with the hosts winning four matches in a row and the visitors winning three. Meanwhile, Inter Miami's games before the break were incredibly high-scoring: a 6-4 rout of Philadelphia, 5-3 victories over Cincinnati, and a 4-2 victory over Toronto. Four of the hosts' last five matches have seen over 2.5 goals scored, reflecting their open style.
Expect this trend to continue in the upcoming game. Inter Miami has serious defensive issues, conceding an average of 2.6 goals per match and have failed to keep a clean sheet in five of their six home games. The visitors are in excellent away form: they are unbeaten in five away matches, scoring an average of 1.83 goals per game. Furthermore, their head-to-head record favors a goal-scoring streak: both teams have scored in seven of their last 10 matches, and their last meeting ended 5-3 in Chicago's favor.
Lionel Messi's absence since the World Cup could impact the hosts' attacking prowess, but even without him, Inter Miami has plenty of players capable of scoring. The match is expected to be played in an open, attacking style, with both teams having plenty of scoring chances. Given the attacking potential and defensive woes of both sides, a bet on both teams to score seems the most logical bet for this encounter, and experts predict a likely scoreline with plenty of goals, such as a 3-3 draw.
