Inter Miami's road trip continues when it squares off against Eastern Conference foe NYCFC in MLS play this weekend.
NYCFC hit a road block in the last two months, winning three of 15 matches played in both MLS and Leagues Cup. Nick Cushing's team is on a winless run of five matches since its 2–1 triumph over Liga MX's Tigres UANL in the Leagues Cup Round of 16.
The Blues' last MLS win came on July 3 against CF Montreal. Since then, the team's heavy defeats to Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati and Philadelphia Union has caused it to slip down to sixth place in the Eastern Conference table with 40 points.
On the other hand, Miami looks to be closing in on a second piece of silverware in the Supporters' Shield. The south Florida club settled for a 2–2 draw vs. Atlanta United Wednesday despite being in front twice at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Lionel Messi marked his return from an ankle injury at the weekend with two goals and assist vs Philadelphia Union but couldn't add to his incredible season at Atlanta.
Miami has already booked a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs beginning in late October and could break the single-season Supporters' Shield points total with 11 points from its last five matches. The previous record was set by New England Revolution in 2021 with 73 points, and Martino's team will look to make history and build on the 63 points they've accumulated thus far.
What Time Does NYCFC vs. Inter Miami Kick-off?
- Location: New York City, New York, United States
- Stadium: Yankee Stadium
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 21
- Kick-off Time: 2:00 p.m. EST
NYCFC vs. Inter Miami H2H Record (Last Five Games)
- NYCFC: 3 wins
- Inter Miami: 0 wins
- Draws: 2
Last meeting: Inter Miami 1-1 NYCFC (March 30, 2024) - MLS
Current Form (All Competitions)
How to Watch NYCFC vs. Inter Miami on TV and Live Stream
NYCFC Team News
NYC will have to make do without winger Malachi Jones and defender Birk Risa. The two players recovering from respective leg injuries and should be back in the mix by the middle of October.
Defender Strahinja Tanasijević will also miss the match due to yellow card accumulation.
NYCFC Predicted Lineup vs. Inter Miami
NYCFC Predicted Lineup vs. Inter Miami (4–2–3–1): Freese; Gray, Martins, Parks, O'Toole; Sands, Perea; Wolf, Rodríguez, Ojeda; Martínez.
Inter Miami Team News
Martino will gladly welcome back Serio Busquets and Tomás Avilés back to the mix after the duo were suspended against Atlanta for collecting five yellow cards each. However, Miami will still be without defenders David Martinez and Noah Allen and forwards Diego Gómez and Matías Rojas as all players are recovering from respective injuries.
Forward Leo Campana is set to miss the contest through suspension after being shown a fifth yellow card of the season against Atlanta.
Inter Miami Predicted Lineup vs. NYCFC
Inter Miami Predicted Lineup vs. NYCFC (4–3–3): Callender; Weigandt, Avilés, Busquets, Alba; Gressel, Bright, Redondo; Messi, Suárez, Taylor.
NYCFC vs. Inter Miami Score Prediction
Martino is likely to field a similar starting lineup to the one that dismantled the Union 3-1 last weekend, with Messi, Suárez, Busquets, Alba and Avilés all potentially returning to feature from the jump.
NYCFC has enough talent in its squad to make things interesting against Herons, especially early on in the match. It wouldn't be a huge surprise to see the Blues open the scoring inside 10 minutes since Miami has struggled to start games on the right foot. However, as Messi and his ex-Barcelona pals should start the match, Miami is capable of overcoming a slow start to pick up its 20th league win of the season.
Prediction: NYCFC 1–3 Inter Miami
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NYCFC vs. Inter Miami – MLS Preview, Predictions, Team News.