Inter Miami will be aiming to make it back-to-back wins in the MLS when they welcome Nashville SC to the Chase Stadium on Saturday.
Inter Miami returned to the win column in strong fashion ahead of their last game against Nashville SC as they rallied from behind to clinch a 3-2 win over Sporting Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium over the weekend, with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi both on the scoresheet.
That win does not diminish the disappointment of Inter Miami’s drama-filled exit from the CONCACAF Champions Cup at the hands of Mexican team Monterrey. But it pushed the men in pink back into first place in the Eastern Conference and helps take away some of the sting of the loss in Mexico.
Now, Messi and his teammates can focus on the MLS season. Despite a slight dip in recent form, they still occupy the top spot in the Eastern Conference with 15 points after nine games, tied with the New York Red Bulls and Columbus Crew, though the latter two have a game in hand.
Philadelphia Union are just three points behind Inter and have three games in hand. So, Miami’s place at the top is not secure by any means, and they need a victory over Nashville to keep the chasing pack at bay. Nashville, on the other hand, were left with nothing last time out as they went down 2-1 to Philadelphia Union at Geodis Park.
Gary Smith’s troops have now failed to win their last three league outings, claiming one point from a possible nine and dropping to 14th in the Eastern Conference table after a sluggish start to the campaign, three points and one place above the rock-bottom New England Revolution.
This will be the first meeting between these two sides in MLS this season. But they have faced off in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16. Miami won both games with an aggregate score of 5-3. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams’ injury reports and tries to predict the outcome of the match.
Team News & Tactics
Inter Miami
Inter Miami will be without the services of a raft of first-team stars as the likes of Leonardo Campana (hamstring), Ian Fray (ACL), Robert Taylor (hamstring) and Robbie Robinson (knee) continue their extended spells on the sidelines. The quartet was spotted training separately from the group as they are coming off injuries and working their way back into game shape.
Argentine midfielder Facundo Farias has been out of action since sustaining an ACL injury back in January, while Sehiy Kryvtsov (hamstring) and Federico Redondo (knee) have also been ruled out. Crucially, talisman Lionel Messi is back to full fitness after missing nearly a month with a hamstring injury.
The most notable absentee from Wednesday’s training was left-back Jordi Alba, who left last game with an apparent right hamstring issue. There is no word yet on the extent of the injury. It is not believed to be too serious, but it appears unlikely he would be ready to play on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Key Biscayne teenager Benjamin Cremaschi made his season debut against Sporting Kansas City after missing the start of the season following sports hernia surgery. The Argentine American midfielder, who had a breakthrough season last year, had been itching to get back.
If Alba is deemed not fit enough, Cremaschi’s box-to-box attributes will be a welcome complement for a midfield that relies on Sergio Busquets, who is best when he can conserve energy and focus on scanning the field and delivering pinpoint passes to Messi and the other attacking players.
Another homegrown Miami player taking on a key midfield role is David Ruiz, who received two yellow cards from the first leg of the Champions Cup quarter-final against Monterrey earlier this month. In the attack, Messi and Diego Gomez should provide support from the flanks, while Luis Suarez should continue to lead the line.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Callender; Aviles, Freire, Gressel; Weigandt, Ruiz, Busquets, Cremaschi; Messi, Suarez, Gomez
Nashville SC
Nashville SC are always considered one of the best in the MLS East. But right now, they are having a lot of trouble getting their rhythm going. Like their counterparts, the visitors will also have to cope without several players as Tyler Boyd and Walker Zimmerman are currently recovering from hip and knee injuries, respectively.
Costa Rican midfielder Randall Leal has been sidelined since October through a serious injury, while Shaq Moore has been ruled out through a hip injury.
Gary Smith has most prominently used 5-3-2, so he could stick with it despite a rough start to the season. Regardless of the setup, he will look to keep his team compact and tough to break down, relying on speed and precision on the break to carve out attacking opportunities.
Former Nottingham Forest centre-forward Sam Surridge netted his second MLS goal of the season in the 2-1 defeat to the Philadelphia Union. He will be the visitors’ biggest threat. The 2022 MLS Golden Boot winner and MVP, Hany Mukhtar, was last season’s top scorer with 15, but has found the back of the net just once so far.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Panicco; Bauer, MacNaughton, Lovitz; Muyl, Godoy, Yearwood, Shaffelburg, Anunga; Surridge, Mukhtar
Key Stats
- Inter Miami striker Luis Suarez is the joint MLS top scorer with six goals.
- Out of 29 teams in the MLS, Nashville rank 23rd in goals scored per game, with a lowly average of just 1.1 goals per game.
- The visitors have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight games across all competitions.
- Since 2021, these two teams have met five times in the MLS. Nashville have just edged the head-to-head with two wins and a draw.
Player to Watch
Lionel Messi
Whenever “La Pulga” is playing, all eyes are expected to be on him. And even more so after his exploits at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City over the weekend.
Messi did things that only Lionel Messi can do. The Argentine star was back to his old self after a month-long injury layoff, scoring a scorching banger of a goal and delivering an assist in a 3-2 Inter Miami road win over Sporting Kansas City in front of 72,000 fans. In the process, he became the first player in MLS history to total five goals and five assists in his first five games of a season.
Prediction
Inter Miami 2-1 Nashville SC
The Boys in Gold look disorganised defensively, and they are coming up against an Inter Miami side that are finding their form in the attacking third once again and showed resilience and class last weekend when they edged out Sporting Kansas City, which we believe will spell trouble for the faltering visitors this weekend.