Chicago Fire will travel to Red Bull Arena on Saturday to face the New York Red Bulls, a team level with them on 34 points after 30 games but a place above in the standings due to better goal difference.
Dropped points from teams above and below them in the standings means that the playoffs remain a possibility for both the sides, though a growingly faint one.
Both teams are on the fringes of the postseason picture. A win for either side, coupled with losses or dropped points from the clubs above them, would put that team knocking at the door of the final series playoffs, with New York City holding the final spot with 37 points.
The hosts got back to winning ways against DC United in a 5-3 goal-fest on Sunday following a five-game winless streak since the Leagues Cup (D2, L3).
Fire, meanwhile, are in an equally desperate situation, and after drawing 2-2 with New England last week, they have now gone winless in their last seven league games since the resumption of MLS action post-Leagues Cup (2D, 5L).
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
New York Red Bulls vs Chicago Fire kick-off time & stadium
| Date: | September 30, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 7:30 pm ET |
| Venue: | Red Bull Arena |
The MLS match between New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire will be played at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, New York, USA.
It will kick off at 7:30 pm ET on September 30 in the United States (US).
How to watch New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire online - TV channels & live streams
The game will be available to watch and stream worldwide on Apple TV, through the MLS Season Pass.
Fans who cannot watch the game can follow the live updates on GOAL, while highlights of the game will be uploaded to the official MLS YouTube channel.
Team news & squads
New York Red Bulls team news
New York Red Bulls will be without the services of Serge Ngoma (hamstring), Lewis Morgan (hip), and Steven Sserwadda (knee) for the clash against the Fire, but all three players could return to action before the end of the season, which is not so much case with Dante Vanzeir, who is out for the season with a spinal cord injury.
New York Red Bulls possible XI: Coronel; Duncan, Reyes, Nealis, Tolkin; Yearwood, Edelman, Amaya, Luquinhas; Manoel, Barlow
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Coronel, Meara, Marcucci |
| Defenders: | Reyes, Ndam, Nocita, Tolkin, Ofori, Reid, Duncan, S. Nealis |
| Midfielders: | Mina, Edelman, Yearwood, Stroud, Estrela, Luquinhas, Amaya, Carmona, Fernandez, Harper |
| Forwards: | Manoel, Burke, Cabezas, Barlow, Hall |
Chicago Fire team news
Chicago Fire's injury situation isn't much better in the opposite dugout, as they'll be missing Chris Mueller, who is expected to be out for the rest of the season with a serious hip injury. Rafael Czichos and Brian Gutierrez are both listed as questionable, while Javier Casas is also expected to be out for several weeks.
On the flip side, Victor Bezerra and Federico Navarro are making good progress on their road to recovery and could return to the fold in the next couple of weeks. Xherdan Shaqiri was only shown two yellows against Columbus Crew and will be eligible for selection here, having served his one-match suspension against New England Revolution last weekend.
Chicago Fire possible XI: Brady; Teran, Pineda, Czichos, Aceves; Doumbia, Gimenez, Torres, Gutierrez, Haile-Selassie; Koutsias
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Gal, Brady |
| Defenders: | Souquet, M. Navarro, Ornsberg, Teran, Dean, Burks, Reynolds, Pineda, Aceves, Czichos |
| Midfielders: | Haile-Selassie, Gutierrez, Herbers, Oregel, A. Rodriguez, Torres, Doumbia, Gimenez |
| Forwards: | Kamara, M. Rodriguez, Koutsias, Shaqiri |
Head-to-Head Record
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 30/4/23 | Chicago Fire 1-1 New York RB | MLS |
| 19/5/22 | New York RB 3-3 Chicago Fire | MLS |
| 1/5/22 | Chicago Fire 1-2 New York RB | MLS |
| 28/8/21 | New York RB 0-1 Chicago Fire | MLS |
| 8/8/21 | Chicago Fire 2-1 New York RB | MLS |
