New England Revolution vs Chicago Fire: Gustavo Bou Seems to Be the Last Weapon in That Race

• New England Revolution will take on Chicago Fire this Wednesday at the Gillette Stadium
• New England Revolution have lost their last two matches in the MLS 
• Chicago Fire have lost their last three matches in the MLS

New England Revolution vs Chicago Fire Odds

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New England Revolution vs Chicago Fire Pick

New England Revolution to win (-1200) at DraftKings Sportsbook

Pick made on 08/29/2022 at 01:52 PM EST

New England Revolution vs Chicago Fire Prediction

Both sides have seen better days in the league and are heading into this tie in pretty poor form. Chicago Fire’s chances of a playoff spot are looking quite slim at the moment but they’ll certainly want to change something heading into this game with three losses on the bounce.

New England Revolution are still in with a chance of making it to the playoffs but they have to win this game and others of similar difficulty to stand a chance. The two sides have nothing between them as far as head-to-head history goes. They’ve won 27 matches each and drawn 14 others.

A draw will do neither any good, which is why a win should be on the corner for one of these sides. New England Revolution will be more desperate for a win heading into this and haven’t lost to the Chicago Fire in a while, which is why a wager on them looks like a safe pick.

Previous Meetings

Despite sharing a long history, the two sides haven’t wasted one another all year. The last meeting between the two sides was back in late October last year and ended in a 2-2 draw. New England took the lead twice in the second half and Chicago Fire quickly answered on both occasions. Wilfrid Kaptoum and Gustavo Bou were on the scoresheet for New England, Alvaro Medran and Ignacio Aliseda did the same for Chicago Fire.

Chicago Fire were mostly worth their two goals despite only having 43 percent of the possession because of their 10 shots on target, of which five were on target. New England Revolution only got two more shots on goal and one more on target.

New England Revolution Drop More Points

New England Revolution weren’t able to put a stop to their recent slide after a 2-1 loss to an LA Galaxy side that were looking a bit out of sorts before the game on the weekend. New England made a disastrous start to the match, conceding twice in the 15 minutes. New England will be well aware that catch-up is never ideal and weren’t able to turn an 82nd minute goal from Carles Gill into a comeback. Despite the loss, Gustavo Bou coming on in the second half after battling injury, and Gil’s goal were definite positives.

Bou’s Return Should Be a Big Addition

Gustavo Bou had been out with a leg injury for six week but remained New England Revolution’s top goalscorer along with Adam Buksa, who recently left the club for Ligue 1 side Lens. The side has looked toothless in attack without their services but will now feel a bit hopeful heading into the next season. Bou had scored seven goals from 12 matches before his long break. They’ll need him to hit them at a similar rate to stand a chance of making it to the playoffs.

Gil’s Goal Will Be Another Positive

It’s been difficult for Gil, who has to take almost all of the attacking burden in recent weeks, but the goal on the weekend showed that he remains one of the best players in the MLS when he gets a little help. His goal took his tally for the season to six. He’s already registered eight assists and will be glad to being chiefly responsible providing Bou with the service instead of taking it all on himself,

If Bou can get up to speed quickly, there’s no reason why the two of them shouldn’t have a say in New England’s qualification hopes and maybe even the playoffs later in the season. With Bou’s return, they also have the full strength of their roster available now.

Chicago Fire Suffer Another Loss to a Top Half Side

No game in the MLS is easy, but facing CF Montreal was never likely to end well for Chicago Fire, who had to face New York City FC and Philadelphia Union prior to that. The game against CF Montreal on the weekend was over in the first half after the visitors got two goals within five minutes thanks to Ismael Kone and Romell Quioto.  Chicago Fire will be disappointed to have got nothing from that fixture after Kone was sent off in the first half for two yellow cards.

Poor Finishing Has Cost the Side

No team has scored fewer goals this season than Chicago Fire with their 28 and their top goalscorer Kacper Przybylko has only scored five goals so far, which gives a pretty clear indication as to what the problems have been for this team.

The underlying numbers suggest that they have underperformed with an expected goals value of 35.2, which isn’t very high either. It doesn’t look like they’re going to have any solutions to this for the coming year but they have got to find upgrades for this next season.

Xherdan Shaqiri Has Shown Promise

The Champions League winner who has played for European giants like Bayern Munich and Liverpool is someone that the side should be building around for the coming seasons. The Swiss international is primarily a creative force and his six assists from an expected assists value of 6.6 is proof of that. He’s also chipped in with four goals. If Chicago Fire can find a focal point, who can be on the end of his through balls and crosses, they have the makings of a pretty competitive side. For now, they’re unlikely to do enough against a fragile New England Revolution, who will be buoyed by the return of their primary goalscorer.

Injuries and Suspensions

Center-back Wyatt Omsberg has been out with a foot surgery since late June and won’t be available for this fixture.

Other Soccer Games Happening This Week

MLS: Austin FC vs Portland Timbers

MLS: Toronto FC vs Los Angeles Galaxy

Premier League: Leicester City vs Manchester United

Premier League: Southampton vs Chelsea

How to Watch New England Revolution vs Chicago Fire