Inter Miami are set to take on LAFC in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals tonight. As usual, all eyes will be on superstar Lionel Messi, who has missed several matches due to a minor muscle injury.
However, Messi will start in tonight’s match. When asked if the captain was ready to play, Miami’s coach, Javier Mascherano, said that he “hopes” he will. “We’ll see; I hope Leo is ready for tomorrow and can play, but you’ll know before the start of the game,” he said.
“The most important thing is that he finished the game well against Philadelphia. The reality is that yesterday we returned to training. On Sunday, we gave them rest, so today we will finish assessing his sensations,” he added.
Messi made his return to the pitch in Inter Miami’s 2–1 win over Philadelphia Union over the weekend. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner scored the game-winner just two minutes after coming on.
Lionel Messi celebrates his goal against Philadelphia Union (Rich Storry/Getty Images)
However, the Argentine has already missed three of Inter Miami’s nine matches across all competitions this season. He has only played a full 90 minutes three times. The injury also prevented Messi from joining Argentina’s national team for their latest matches against Uruguay and Brazil. But La Albiceleste didn’t have any trouble, clinching two wins and securing their ticket to the 2026 World Cup.
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Inter Miami’s lineup vs LAFC
This will be Inter Miami’s lineup for tonight clash against LAFC: Ustari; Lujan, Falcon, Allen, Jordi Alba; Bright, Sergio Busquets, Fafà Picault, Telasco Segovia; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez.
Miami cruised past Cavalier FC in the round of 16 to secure a place among Concacaf’s top eight. LAFC dominated Columbus Crew in the first leg with a 3-0 win and held their advantage in the second to reach the quarterfinals.
