**Charlotte's running hot, but Montréal's got the home-field history.** This is a classic bounce-back setup — the hosts are reeling after that nightmarish 1-7 shellacking in Miami, while Charlotte rolls in unbeaten in five. 🔥

Montréal's form is genuinely rough (two losses sandwiching draws), yet they've dominated the head-to-head: 5 wins in the last eight meetings. Charlotte's run is real though—three wins and two draws, zero losses. The injury list is brutal for Montréal (Hidalgo, Morales, Amaya all out), which thins the attacking depth.

Key storylines:

- **Charlotte's unbeaten streak** meets a Montréal side desperate to prove Miami was an aberration, not the new normal
- **A. Saint-Maximin** leads Charlotte's front line against a **Montréal defense** missing key bodies
- **Home-field edge** cuts both ways: Saputo's a fortress historically, but Montréal looked fragile lately

Expected lineups:

- **CF Montréal**: T. Gillier, L. Petrasso, B. Vera, D. Bugaj, J. Neal, M. Longstaff, N. Streit, D. Pereira, P. Owusu, D. Rios, A. Sánchez
- **Charlotte FC**: K. Kahlina, H. Kessler, W. Cleary, D. Schnegg, T. Ream, P. Biel, D. Diani, I. Toklomati, L. D. L. Torre, L. Abada, A. Saint-Maximin

Prediction:

**Montréal 2-1 Charlotte.** Slim lean on the hosts to steady the ship at home, but Charlotte's too sharp to roll over quietly. 🏟️