INSIDE THE 18: Red Bulls, Chicago Fire Battle in Push for Playoffs

The New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire go to battle on Saturday night at Red Bull Arena with massive playoff implications.

Head Coach Troy Lesesne will have John Tolkin, Hassan Ndam, Andrés Reyes and Kyle Duncan start along the backline, with Carlos Coronel in net.

Last match, Tolkin recorded his fifth MLS assist of the season, which is a new career-high for him in a single season. He has registered seven across all competitions, which leads the team. Tolkin also scored his second MLS goal of the season in the match.

Frankie Amaya, Daniel Edelman, Omir Fernandez and Luquinhas will makeup the midfield for RBNY.

Tom Barlow and Elias Manoel start up top.

The Red Bulls are unbeaten in their last three matches against Chicago and have posted a 4-1-2 mark in their last six home matches across all competitions. 

Off the bench, the Red Bulls will have Dylan Nealis, Cameron Harper, Peter Stroud, Wiki Carmona, Dru Yearwood, Cory Burke, Jorge Cabezas Hurtado and Julian Zakrzewski Hall. Ryan Meara will serve as backup goalkeeper.

Sean Nealis misses the match due to yellow card accumulation. Serge Ngoma, Lewis Morgan and Dante Vanzeir are all sidelined with injuries.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and New York Red Bulls Radio in English via TuneIn, the New York Red Bulls app, and NewYorkRedBulls.com.

Coverage on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish begins at 7:30 p.m. ET. Chris Wittyngham will have the primary play-by-play responsibilities and will be alongside Lori Lindsey on the English side, Oscar Salazar will have the play-by-play responsibilities alongside Miguel Gallardo on the Spanish broadcast. New York Red Bulls Radio begins at 7 p.m. ET with Countdown to Kickoff, presented by Honda, hosted by Matt Harmon and Steve Jolley.