Inter Miami host Los Angeles FC in midweek in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-final tie.
The visitors have a slender 1-0 advantage to protect, after Nathan Ordaz‘s strike helped LAFC to victory in the first leg.
Match preview
Though both clubs are still relatively young, Steve Cherundolo‘s side have a good record in the competition, having reached the final on two occasions, despite this being only their eighth season in the club’s history.
In 2020, they suffered defeat in the final at the hands of Tigres, and three years later, it was Mexican opponents once again that beat them, with Club Leon defeating them 3-1 on aggregate in a two-legged final.
Should they see this tie out, the Black and Gold will be through to the semi-finals, and still in with another shot of lifting a trophy that has slipped from their grasp throughout their short history.
Having seen off Colorado Rapids in the first round of the competition, LAFC then got revenge on Columbus Crew for their defeats in both the 2023 MLS Cup, and the 2024 Leagues Cup final, as a 3-0 victory in the first leg helped them to a 4-2 aggregate success.
While the visitors have been performing well in continental action, they have struggled to match this form in the league.
After beginning the season with two wins in a row, Cherundolo’s side have lost four of their last five games in the league, leaving them with nine points from their first seven MLS games.
Three of their four matches that they have played on the road in the league this season have ended in defeat, which is a worrying trend ahead of this fixture.
The most recent of those defeats came at the weekend, as Houston Dynamo beat LAFC 1-0, courtesy of a Jack McGlynn winner.
Like LAFC, Inter Miami are one of the youngest franchises in Major League Soccer, and they were knocked out of the Champions Cup last season by Monterrey in the quarter-finals.
Having got a taste for the competition last season, they will be determined to go further this time around, and having seen off Sporting Kansas City and Cavalier in the earlier rounds with relative ease, they will feel confident that they can swing this tie round in their favour.
The Herons have made a positive start to their league campaign, having won four of their opening six league matches, which has them second in the Eastern Conference on 14 points.
However, they were held to a 1-1 draw at the weekend at home against Toronto FC, as Lionel Messi‘s equaliser helped rescue a point following Federico Bernardeschi‘s opener.
The defeat in the first leg remains the only loss of the season for Javier Mascherano‘s side, and their record on their home patch over the past year will give them confidence that they can overcome the 1-0 deficit.
The only side to have won away to Inter Miami in the past year is Atlanta United, who beat them once in the regular season and again in the playoffs last season, making them a bogey side for the Herons.
However, LAFC have also proven to be difficult opponents for Miami since their first meeting in March 2020, as the visitors have had the upper hand in the four games played between the two sides.
The first game in Inter Miami’s history was against the Black and Gold, a match that ended in a 1-0 defeat for the Herons.
Since then, they have only met three more times, and LAFC have won three of the four matches, while Inter’s 3-1 win against LAFC in September 2023 remains their only triumph against them to date.
With history favouring the visitors in this encounter, they will be hopeful that they can succeed once again in this clash and book a spot in the semi-finals.
Team News
The hosts have a few injury concerns ahead of this match, as David Ruiz is a doubt due to a hamstring injury.
Elsewhere, David Martinez (groin) and Tadeo Allende (leg) are also doubts for this clash.
Meanwhile, the visitors could be without Jeremy Ebobisse due to a leg problem.
In a further blow for Cherundolo’s side, Lorenzo Dellavalle is expected to miss the game with a thigh injury.
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
Ustari; Alba, Allen, Falcon, Lujan; Segovia, Busquets, Bright, Picault; Suarez, Messi
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Hollingshead, Segura, Long, Palencia; Tillman, Jesus, Delgado; Under, Giroud, Bouanga
We say: Inter Miami 2-0 Los Angeles FC
Both teams have quality throughout their squads, but we are going with the home side here.
Inter Miami are hungry to prove their credentials with their star-studded squad, and although it should be a tight match, their home form has been exceptional for the past year, and we think that they can overturn the 1-0 defeat they suffered in the first leg.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
