Gotham FC vs Chicago Stars FC preview: Top vs bottom of the table | OneFootball

After three straight road games, NJ/NY Gotham FC will return home to face Chicago Stars FC. After losing to Denver Summit FC, the Bats have turned things around and won their last two matches, including last week's 2-1 victory over the North Carolina Courage that saw Jordynn Dudley score a stoppage-time winner.

After a small blip that saw them go three matches without a win, culminating in that loss to Denver, it seems like Gotham FC hit the reset button. They are getting back to the form that saw them go 10 in a row unbeaten over the summer. The gap over second-placed Washington Spirit is back up to five points after dropping to as low as two in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, the Stars have seemingly gotten a head start on their 2027 season. From firing head coach Martin Sjögren in August to more recently trading Jameese Joseph to Utah Royals FC and hiring Vlatko Andonovski as Chief Soccer Officer, it appears their focus has turned to next year. And it would be hard to blame them for that shift in focus as the Stars sit in last place with a -43 goal differential,

Hence, this should be a pretty easy three points for Gotham FC. Between their pretty comfortable 2-0 win in Chicago earlier this season and Chicago only having one away win this season back in May, all things are pointing towards a win. Here is a preview of Friday night's game.

Gotham FC vs Chicago Stars preview

Date

The fixture is scheduled to begin at 8:00 PM ET.

Location

The match will be played at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey.

How to watch

The game will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

Weather

The early fall weather has arrived in New Jersey, with temperatures in the mid-60s throughout this match and wind speeds as high as 17 mph. Gusts will reach as high as 30 mph. Humidity will be low at around 40%, with at most a 10% chance of rain. The nor'easter rain should start after the game.

Injury report

Sofia Cook (lower leg), Kayla Duran (knee - SEI), and Emily Sonnett (knee - SEI) will miss the game.

Players to watch

For Gotham, it will be interesting to see whether Dudley can continue her goal-scoring form, making her one to watch. The rookie scored a brace last week against North Carolina, her first as a pro. This brought her goal total to five on the season in all competitions. It had been a bit of a struggle in front of goal of late for the rookie, with those being her first goals since the Challenge Cup on June 26. Dudley becoming a more consistent goal scorer adds a different dynamic to the NJ/NY side, which has at times struggled to score this season.

Fans should also watch Chicago's Julia Grosso. She is probably their best player with Jordyn Huitema and Mallory Swanson out injured. The Canadian midfielder is in her third season at the club and scored her first goals of the season in back-to-back games at the end of August. If Chicago wants positive results to end the season, she'll have to play a big role in getting this team back in the win column.

A 3-0 win for Gotham FC is the prediction, with goals coming from Dudley, Sam Kerr, and Rose Lavelle. As mentioned earlier, this should be a pretty easy win given the teams' talent and importance to their season that this game represents.