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• Inter Miami 'have the advantage', says Martino ahead of playoff decider

  Inter Miami head coach Gerardo Martino gave an update on the availability of midfielder Sergio Busquets ahead of their playoff decider against Atlanta United at Chase Stadium.

  The Spanish midfielder missed their 2-1 defeat in Game 2, which levelled the series and put the Eastern Conference winners potentially a game away from elimination.

  "He had a problem because of a knock in the last game and he had the beginnings of pneumonia, he had a fever and did not train all week, today he was better," Martino told a press conference.

  Thinking ahead to the final game, Martino stressed that his players have played through pressurised games before and that they will be able to deal with the situation.

  "We have the advantage of hierarchy in the team with many players who have been through much more difficult situations than this," Martino said. 

  Interim Atlanta United coach Rob Valentino, meanwhile, was clear that his team were concentrating on themselves.

  "It's been the theme of our team that we don't control that, so whatever the outside is saying, it's not our focus. Our focus is on ourselves," he told a press conference.

  "We have our own internal pressure individually, collectively as a team, and that's the pressure we put on ourselves to perform everyday.

  "We're in a great position to be in the playoffs and now we're hoping that with one game left, we've got more after that."

  The deciding game will be played at Chase Stadium, where Inter Miami are unbeaten in 11 matches, while they also beat Atlanta 2-1 in Game 1 of their best-of-three series.

  But Valentino was unbothered by that, or Lionel Messi's impressive record on home turf, saying: "Nothing changes in terms of where the venue is.

  "Messi is fantastic, there is no slander on my end, he's a fantastic player.

  "That doesn't change for the venue, we have to have a really good start, be really aware of where he's at among other players."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Inter Miami – Lionel Messi

  Who else? Messi scored 20 goals in the regular season in MLS, contributing another 10 assists. 

  The 37-year-old has recorded at least one goal contribution in 12 of his last 13 matches in all competitions at Chase Stadium, including in each of his last six.

  Atlanta United – Saba Lobjanidze

  Lobjanidze is Atlanta United's top scorer in MLS this season, with nine goals in the regular season and one in the first game of the series against Inter Miami.

  The Georgian equalised for his team at Chase Stadium late last month in their 2-1 defeat, while he has also supplied seven assists over the course of the 2024 season.

  MATCH PREDICTION: INTER MIAMI WIN

  Inter Miami are unbeaten in 11 straight home matches in all competitions (W9 D2) following a 3-1 defeat to Atlanta in May. They have also outscored opponents, 30-14, in those matches.

  Atlanta, meanwhile, are winless in their last six away playoff matches (D1 L5), though they advanced on penalties in its lone draw in that time, a 2-2 draw at Montreal in this year’s Wild Card Round.

  However, they will have hope of stopping Messi playing a starring role in proceedings. The Five Stripes' 2-1 win in Game 2 was the 21st MLS match (regular season and playoffs) Messi has played in 2024 but just the second defeat. The other loss also came at the hands of Valentino's side.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Inter Miami – 63.3%

  Draw – 19.5%

  Atlanta United – 17.2%

• Edu placed on gardening leave by Arsenal and replaced by Jason Ayto

  Edu will spend the next six months on gardening leave, while assistant sporting director Jason Ayto will take up his role during the search for a full-time replacement.

  The news comes after the announcement earlier in the week that Edu was to leave Arsenal to work with Evangelos Marinakis' multi-club group, which includes Nottingham Forest.

  The Gunners are giving themselves a long window to replace their sporting director and are prepared to wait for the right candidate.

  Despite his abrupt departure partway through the season, the feeling towards Edu is of gratitude after installing a robust structure that the club can now work with.

  The Brazilian is known to be a friend of Marinakis, who values the esteem in which Edu is held by his peers.

  The salary offered to him for his move, as reported by Sky Sports News, would mean only Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Unai Emery earn more than him among Premier League managers.

  The role itself, meanwhile, will see Edu act as the CEO of the group.

• 'Outstanding' Jones has improved since becoming a father, says Slot

  Arne Slot believes Curtis Jones' upturn in form for Liverpool has coincided with the 23-year-old recently becoming a father for the first time. 

  Jones has played a starring role for the Reds in recent weeks, which has earned him a call-up by Lee Carsley for England’s upcoming Nations League fixtures this month. 

  The midfielder shone during Liverpool's 4-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, notching a sublime assist for Luis Diaz's 61st minute opener. 

  Jones also created the joint-most chances (three) along with Ryan Gravenberch at Anfield, and is now pushing Dominik Szoboszlai for a starting spot in Liverpool's midfield. 

  "With Curtis he became a fighter and I had nothing to do with that. Since the moment he became a father [last month], he started putting great performances in," Slot said. 

  "He already did in the first few weeks of pre-season and I thought he was a quality player.

  "His performances dropped a bit but from the moment he became a father he has been outstanding again.

  "It might have a bit to do with that, but I think it is more to do with how the team plays. As a result of that, individual performances are good as well."

  Jones has started four of the Reds' last six games in all competitions, notching four goal contributions (one goal, three assists) in those games. 

  But the midfielder has had to bide his time under Slot, with the Liverpool boss challenging Jones to add consistency to his game in the coming weeks. 

  "He has a lot of qualities on the ball, when he has it he's never afraid to do something special. Sometimes he is a bit too over-confident but confidence is important," Slot added.

  "He also has an incredibly high work-rate and we can trust him defensively. You saw how he performed against Cole Palmer.

  "If he wants to continue progressing he has to show every three days these performances."

  Liverpool's fine start to the season continued with their midweek thrashing of Leverkusen, and they are now top of the Premier League and Champions League tables. 

  The Reds' victory over Brighton in the league saw Slot become just the fifth manager to win as many as eight of his first 10 Premier League games in charge, after John Gregory (1998), Guus Hiddink (2009), Carlo Ancelotti (2009) and Ange Postecoglou (2023).

  Of the previous four, only Postecoglou failed to win his 11th match in the competition, though Slot faces a stern test this weekend when Aston Villa visit Merseyside. 

  The Dutchman, however, insisted that his side's flying start to the season had not come as a surprise. 

  "I don't think surprise is the right word to use because I knew the quality of our team. But quality is one thing and consistency is another," Slot concluded.

  "I am not surprised because I saw the energy my players put in on a daily basis.

  "Sometimes a bit of luck comes with us as well. Most of our results were deserved, but some have been a close call.

  "In general, I'm not surprised because of the quality that was in the team and when I started working with them, I saw how much effort they put in to get these results."