MLS

Messi and Suarez available as Inter Miami target bounce-back performance

By Sports Desk May 31, 2024

Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are expected to feature when Inter Miami host St. Louis City in MLS on Saturday, with the Herons looking to bounce back from a midweek defeat.

Miami saw a 10-match unbeaten run in league play halted on Wednesday, as they were beaten 3-1 by Atlanta United.

That result came despite Messi and Suarez returning to Gerardo Martino's lineup, having both missed a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps last weekend.

According to assistant coach Javier Morales, both players will be fit and available for this week's match as Miami target a return to winning ways.

"Everyone is optimum to play," Morales said. "Today we will train, and the coaching staff will watch players but there is no physical problem. 

"Afterwards we will talk to the players but most of all Martino will feel the game and what it needs. 

"But we will play the strongest team to conclude this part of the season strongly before the international window. Everyone is fit and wants to play.

"The plan was always to play the strongest side against St. Louis, the result on Wednesday did not modify that strategy."

St. Louis have lost three successive games to slide to 11th in the Western Conference standings, three points outside the wild-card places.

They were beaten 2-1 by the Seattle Sounders on home soil last weekend, and head coach Bradley Carnell knows a swift response is important.

"I challenge the staff, the players challenge me, and then we try to execute on gameday," Carnell said after that defeat.

"None of us are happy with the situation, let me be clear. We've experienced far better, we've had a lot more joy and a lot more smiles on our faces.

"But we get up in the morning and we go again. That's the message for the boys."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Inter Miami – Lionel Messi

Messi scored Miami's only goal in their defeat to Atlanta on Wednesday. 

It was the first time Messi's club had lost a match in which he scored for over three years, since he netted for Barcelona in a 2-1 loss to Celta Vigo in May 2021.

St. Louis City – Eduard Lowen

Lowen recorded his 17th MLS assist for St. Louis against Seattle last Saturday, setting up a goal for Tomas Totland. His 17 assists have set up goals for 10 different team-mates.

MATCH PREDICTION – INTER MIAMI WIN

St Louis have lost three straight regular-season matches for the first time in franchise history. 

They had lost just three of their previous 18 regular-season matches in a run dating back to last September, winning five and drawing 10 in that span.

St. Louis did beat Miami 3-0 in the teams' first meeting last July, but a lot has changed since that game, which was the Herons' last before Messi debuted in the Leagues Cup six days later.

Miami's 3-1 loss to Atlanta was their first home defeat with Messi in their starting lineup, having previously won 10 and drawn one of 11 matches with the Argentine starting on home turf.

They are strong favourites to bounce back with victory over struggling opponents this weekend. 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Inter Miami – 59.8%

St. Louis City – 19.1%

Draw – 21%

Related items

  • ‘We will give him an honorary card’ - Sartini hoping for heavenly presence in playoff decider ‘We will give him an honorary card’ - Sartini hoping for heavenly presence in playoff decider

    Vanni Sartini opened his arms to an unlikely addition to the Vancouver Whitecaps’ fanbase in their deciding fixture against Los Angeles FC in the MLS playoffs.

    In the Whitecaps’ wild card match against the Portland Timbers, a game they won 5-0, opposition manager Phil Neville believed that God was on his side after the game was played at Providence Park, despite Vancouver finishing higher in the Western Conference.

    Sartini explained after the result that he did not believe in God but said he would be a welcome Whitecaps supporter in their must-win encounter at the BMO Stadium.

    “I don’t know. After last time when I said that I don’t think he exists, I don’t know if he wants to become part of the Whitecaps, but if he does, we will give him an honorary card,” Sartini said.

    The Whitecaps forced a deciding game in their best-of-three series after beating LAFC 3-0 at BC Place, the only tie to go the distance in the West.

    Vancouvers’ postseason form has seen them play some of their best football this term, and Sartini is hoping for that to continue.

    “We had a run in the late summer, and we were playing really well, and we have achieved that same level, and it’s the level of a top four team to be honest,” Sartini added.

    “The three games, we knew that the conditions were going to be back, and we knew we were gearing towards the playoffs with all the players arriving and ready to go.

    “I know that we will play a good game in Los Angeles, we will. If we win, I don’t know. We will honour this playoff run.”

    LAFC, meanwhile, will be aiming to avenge their defeat in Game 2, hoping not to become the second high-profile casualty in the playoffs after the Columbus Crew were eliminated by the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference bracket.

    Ryan Gauld opened the scoring in the 10th minute before two own-goals either side of half-time from Ryan Hollingshead and Eddie Segura sealed the win for Vancouver.

    LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo bemoaned his side’s slow start to proceedings after finding themselves two goals down inside 13 minutes and is looking to rectify that on home turf this time around.

    “If you go back to the 11 games that we lost this season, it has always been the crucial moments at the beginning of the half where we make mental lapses and errors,” Cherundolo said.

    “It was a little sloppy mentally and tactically in those moments and that is just not good enough to win games. Against Vancouver, it is difficult because they are a team full of energy.

    “They almost always capitalise on opponents’ mistakes, and they did against us. We have nothing to blame but ourselves and we will look to correct those errors in training.”

    PLAYERS TO WATCH

    LAFC – Denis Bouanga

    Despite not finding the back of the net in Game 2, Bouanga will be hoping to get himself back among the goals against one of his favoured opponents in the MLS.

    He has recorded at least one goal contribution in all five home matches he’s played against Vancouver in all competitions, totalling four goals and four assists over the five matches.

    Vancouver Whitecaps – Ryan Gauld

    Gauld has scored in four straight matches for the Whitecaps going back to the end of the regular season, including a goal during his side’s victory in Game 2.

    The only Whitecaps player to score in five straight MLS matches (regular season and playoffs) is Camilo Sanvezzo between June and July 2013.

    MATCH PREDICTION: LAFC WIN

    While the series is level heading into the decider, it is LAFC who are predicted to emerge victorious according to Opta’s data-led simulations.

    However, their seven-match winning streak in all competitions ended with the loss to Vancouver in Game 2. LAFC have not lost consecutive matches in over a year, since a three-match losing run between August and September 2023.

    Vancouver’s 3-0 win last time out ended an eight-match winless run in the best-of-three series. (D2 L6). They have managed only one win in 12 all-time away matches against LAFC (D4 L7) but did beat the Black and Gold in a penalty shootout at BMO Stadium in the Leagues Cup this year.

    The Whitecaps’ triumph in Game 2 was their third all-time playoff victory (D2 L8). In those three wins, the Whitecaps have outscored opponents, 13-0, while being outscored 19-6, in their other 10 postseason contests.

    OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

    LAFC – 63.1%

    Draw – 19.6%

    Vancouver Whitecaps – 17.3%

  • 'Disappointed' Parker laments disallowed goal in West Brom stalemate 'Disappointed' Parker laments disallowed goal in West Brom stalemate

    Burnley head coach Scott Parker was left "disappointed" with officials after Jaidon Anthony saw his goal ruled out in their goalless draw with West Brom on Thursday. 

    The Clarets are now without a win in their last four Championship games, while also failing to score in their last three fixtures in the division. 

    Anthony, however, thought he had put Burnley ahead in the 59th minute when he headed Lucas Pires' delivery to the back post beyond Alex Palmer. 

    But referee Tom Nield felt the Burnley winger had pushed Callum Styles in an attempt to reach the ball, thus disallowing the goal, much to the frustration of Parker. 

    "I've watched it back again - it's a goal. It's a valid goal and disappointing the ref has decided to give that decision," Parker told Sky Sports.

    "There's a little hand but nothing to influence the player too much.

    "Overall we looked very good, good value. At this present moment the chances are not going in (but) overall today the attacking threat was more positive.

    "I am really encouraged by that. It's a young team, in a process."

    Anthony also gave his version of events at full-time, echoing the comments made my his manager. 

    "Yeah frustrating, at the time I didn’t think it was a foul. The defender didn’t seem to complain either," Anthony added. 

    "I want to score more, I don’t really get too many headers, it felt good going in, I turned around and it was a heartbreaking moment to see it ruled out.

    "We haven’t created enough in the past games, but today I felt like we had chances."

    Carlos Corberan, unsurprisingly, shared a different view of the incident. 

    "From my point of view from the bench it was a foul," the West Brom boss said. "In general as a team we were good in the first half and we created some opportunities.

    "In the second half they were better than us until the last third of it. They were more compact than us and we struggled to create chances."

    West Brom have now drawn their last six games in the Championship, with Thursday's stalemate their third straight draw without a goal at the Hawthorns. 

    And the Baggies struggled again to find that clinical edge in the final third, registering just one shot on target from the 11 efforts they managed against Burnley. 

    Despite the result, West Brom moved up to fifth in the table, while Burnley remained in fourth, but the Clarets are now four points behind the automatic promotion places. 

  • Maresca thrilled with 'serious' Chelsea after Conference League romp Maresca thrilled with 'serious' Chelsea after Conference League romp

    Enzo Maresca was thrilled with the "serious" performance Chelsea put in during their 8-0 drubbing of Armenian minnows Noah in the Europa Conference League.

    Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku scored twice at Stamford Bridge, while Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Axel Disasi and Mykhailo Mudryk also got themselves on the scoresheet. 

    The Blues were six goals to the good by half-time, the biggest advantage by an English side at the break of a major European game since Derby County were winning 9-0 against Finn Harps in the 1976-77 UEFA Cup.

    Chelsea are also top of the 36-team league table on goal difference, having scored 16 times in their three matches in the competition so far.

    Maresca was impressed by the way his side ensured there was no slacking against evidently inferior opposition.

    "I think the players showed how professional and serious they are. It is very easy to sleep in these kind of games," Maresca said after the game.

    "Football is full of surprises. It was to show how serious we are, how professional. They showed that and it's an important message for all of us.

    "In the first five minutes, we conceded a chance. You have to be focused. The way to show respect to them, don't underestimate them. 

    "Football is full of these kind of surprises. We don't need that."

    Speaking to TNT Sports, Maresca was especially pleased considering he once again made wholesale changes from the side ordinarily seen in the Premier League.

    "Very impressed, especially because we are trying to change players every game. It works well," he added.

    "We have good players, and we want them to get minutes. Some of them play in the conference, some in the Premier League, but all of them want to play every game."

    The Stamford Bridge faithful could be heard chanting 'we want 10' during the game, but centre-back Adarabioyo was equally delighted with the clean sheet.

    "I didn't [know fans were chanting 'we want 10']. Didn't manage 10 but a great result," he told TNT Sports.

    "Concentration is key to make sure we have the clean sheet at the end of the game and we managed to do so. I've been thinking I needed a goal soon, so very happy to get one.

    "Never take your foot off the gas. We just kept going. Set out for the clean sheet and we managed to get that. We haven't had one for a while."

    Up next for Chelsea is a return to Premier League action, hoping to carry the momentum for their convincing triumph against an out of sorts Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. 

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.