FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – APRIL 09: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF controls the ball during the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2025 Quarter-final second leg match between Inter Miami CF and Los Angeles Football Club at Chase Stadium on April 09, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
To a computer, it might seem normal that Inter Miami is not at minus odds to beat the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field this Sunday. Inter Miami's glamorous win in Los Angeles aside, the Herons and Fire had similar form on the pitch in MLS matches last weekend. Inter Miami has only one more league victory than Chicago this season, and Soldier Field is a chilly venue for a road team.
To human beings who watch soccer, Chicago's bright odds to upset Miami may seem as insane as putting Messi in at left-back. The Fire weren't favored to win their last MLS tilt versus the New York Red Bulls. Now, they're set to host Messi and company for a sold-out crowd ... with better odds.
Do sportsbooks know something that fans don't know? It's often the case when markets look like malarkey. Not to let down any $1000 ticket buyers, but it could be that the Fire won't get the Herons' full burn when lineups are revealed prior to Inter Miami and Chicago's 4:30 p.m. EST kickoff time.
Spread
- Inter Miami EVEN (-125)
- Chicago EVEN (+105)
Moneyline
- Inter Miami +135
- Chicago +170
- Draw +290
Total
- OVER 3 (+100)
- UNDER 3 (-120)
*The above data was collected on April 11, 2025, and may have changed since writing.
Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire Betting Trends
- Chicago is 4-1-3 in eight matches against Inter Miami.
- The total has gone OVER in six of the teams' eight meetings.
- The total has gone OVER in four of Chicago's last five matches.
- The total has gone UNDER in four straight Inter Miami matches.
Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire Injury Reports
Inter Miami
- Winger Tadeo Allende is out with a calf injury.
- Midfielder David Ruiz is out with a hamstring injury.
- Forward David Martinez is questionable with an adductor injury.
Chicago Fire
- Defender Leonardo Barroso is out with a lower-body injury.
- Defender Jonathan Dean is out with a torso injury.
- Midfielder Brian Gutierrez is out with a lower-body injury.
- Forward Chris Mueller is out for undisclosed reasons.
- Midfielder David Poreba is out with a lower-body injury.
- Defenders Jack Elliott and Sam Rodgers are questionable with lower-body injuries.
Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire Predictions and Picks
There's precedent for Messi sitting down for his team's fixtures in Chicago. An injury knocked #10 out of a matchup in Chi-Town last season. Sportsbooks give the legend close to even risk-and-reward odds to score, though Messi's proposition odds to score only just surpassing those of Chicago's journeyman Hugo Cuypers is a clue that Inter Miami could be coasting with reserves by the second half. Chicago's injury list is longer than Miami's, but it might as well not be, given Chicago's rest advantage.
Plus, there's a talented new face at Soldier Field, midfielder Jonathan Bamba. "(Bamba) got on the scoresheet for the first time in his MLS career during Saturday's match at the New York Red Bulls. The prized offseason arrival finished off a clinical counterattack in the 32nd minute," reports MLS.com.
Sunday's bout is like a "Carabao Cup" date on which Arsenal takes it easy, and opposing Bournemouth goes all-out with its best lineup. You can expect Miami's back line to just hold off the Fire, while a lack of superstar minutes hurts the Herons' attack, making under-total-goals bets into wise winners.
