Inter Miami, having already secured a spot in the MLS playoffs, is set to host the New England Revolution at Chase Stadium for Matchday 37. The big question heading into the game is whether Lionel Messi will be in the starting lineup or come off the bench.
Messi is expected to play, as head coach Gerardo Martino confirmed the Argentine legend will be available. “He’ll be in the squad, but we’ll decide if he starts or comes in off the bench,” Martino said on Friday.
Martino also gave insight into why Messi might not start against New England. “Saturday’s game is important because we’ve set new goals for ourselves. This was a goal we didn’t initially plan for, but now that we’re close to achieving it, we’ll go after it. Of course, our main focus is on next Friday’s playoff match,” Martino explained.
“In light of that, we’re evaluating what kind of involvement we can give to players coming back from international duty, including Leo (Messi).” Based on Martino’s comments, it seems likely that Messi will start from the bench today.
Inter Miami in great form
On top of winning the Supporters‘ Shield with an impressive 71 points from 33 games, Inter Miami is currently in top form. The team hasn’t lost since mid-August when they suffered a 3-2 defeat to Columbus Crew in the Leagues Cup. Since then, they’ve gone on a 10-game unbeaten streak, recording seven wins and three draws.
Martino likely to rotate the squad
With Martino emphasizing that the team’s primary focus is on next Friday’s MLS playoff game, it’s expected that today’s lineup against New England Revolution will feature some rotation. The possible starting XI includes:
Oscar Ustari; Tomás Avilés, Sergey Kryvtsov, Noah Allen; Julian Gressel, David Ruíz, Benjamín Cremaschi, Franco Negri; Matías Rojas, Robert Taylor; Leandro Campana.