:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/10331673/125457575.0.jpg)
I predicted a 1-0 win in my Fireside Chat. I can't see this being a high scoring game, so if the Men in Red can somehow find a way to net a goal, I think the defense can do the rest to bring a win home today. The back line, while still without Arne Friedrich, has shown marked improvement through the first 3 games. So the question becomes what we have been asking for 3 weeks now. Will the midfield show up and help transition the ball up front to the strikers? With Joel Lindpere out (who has struggled), and Dilly Duka questionable, the Fire will field yet again a different lineup from the previous week. If the midfield can win the battle in the middle of the pitch, that should hopefully provide us with some scoring looks.
And that leads into the other, most obvious question. Who will take these chances and actually convert them into a goal or goals? So far, no one has stepped up to the plate, and the team has to be getting frustrated at this point, and rightfully so. That first goal should be a huge weight off the shoulders, removing some pressure and adding a bit of much needed confidence in the process. Let's hope that outbreak of scoring comes today.
Lineups will be posted before the match kicks off. Join us at HTIOT in what will hopefully be a celebration of a win and some goals. Let's go Fire!