Inter Miami will hope to continue their pursuit of their lofty goals for the 2024 MLS Regular season when they host a young NYCFC side at Chase Stadium on Saturday night.
However, Inter will be without Lionel Messi, who missed the March international break due to a hamstring injury, failing to recover in time and will instead hope to return for the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday.
“He’s being evaluated for the Monterrey game. He’s a possibility,” Inter Miami assistant coach Javi Morales said Friday.
Inter Miami have struggled without Lionel Messi on the pitch, dropping points to both CF Montreal and New York Red Bulls in his absence.
NYCFC also struggled mightily without their talisman Talles Magno, who missed the start of the season with a knee problem. In the Brazilian’s absence, NYCFC have won just one of their first five games while losing the remaining four, leaving them second to last in the Eastern Conference.
Team News
Fans had to wait until Friday to find out that Lionel Messi was not fit for this match as he did not train with the team on Wednesday.
New off-season signing Nicolas Freire is also out with a hamstring injury, but brand new signing Marcelo Weigandt could slot right in at right-back following the departure of DeAndre Yedlin.
Inter Miami is without Benjamin Cremaschi for the next few weeks as he recovers from hernia surgery, and Facundo Farias is out for the season with a preseason ACL tear.
Inter Miami starting lineup:
Callender (GK) — Weigandt, Aviles, Kryvtsov, Alba — Gressel, Busquets, D. Gomez — D. Ruiz, Suarez, Taylor.
NYCFC projected lineup:
Freese (GK) — Ilenic, Martins, Risa, O’Toole — Sands, S. Rodriguez, Parks — J. Fernandez, Bakrar, Wolf.
Inter Miami vs NYCFC live stream, TV channel
- TV channel: FOX USA
- Streaming: FREE on MLS Season Pass from Apple TV
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