New York City vs Inter Miami Prediction, Preview, Lineups and Team News | MLS, September 21, 2024

New York City vs Inter Miami

• Tournament: Major League Soccer (MLS).
• Date: Saturday, September 21.
• Kick-off: 6:00 PM GMT.
• Venue: Yankee Stadium.

New York City vs Inter Miami will be the only Major League Soccer (MLS) game on Saturday, September 21 as both the teams will be playing their 30^th game of the ongoing season.

The hosts will enter this contest on the back of a terrible run of form. They are currently winless in their last five games, managing two draws and suffering three defeats. They suffered a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Philadelphia Union in their last game and lost 4-2 to Columbus Crew just two weeks before that. Manager Nicholas Cushing will be under immense pressure to get a result but will face a formidable opponent.

Miami, on the other hand, will enter the game on the back of a good run of form. They have secured three wins, one draw, and one defeat in their last five games. Their three-game winning streak came to an end after a 2-2 draw against Atlanta United earlier today (September 19). However, they won their three games before that by scoring nine goals and conceding just two goals before that. Manager Jorge Theiler will look to record a win to revive their form.

On that note, let’s take a look at the team news from both camps.

New York City vs Inter Miami Team News

New York City Team News

Manager Cushing will be without two players for the next game. Malachi Jones remains sidelined with an injury while Birk Risa is doubtful for the match. The manager is expected to stick with the same lineup and formation for the match against Miami.

Inter Miami Team News

Manager Theiler will have a long list of injuries and suspensions to deal with. Facundo Farias, Nicolas Freire, CJ dos Santos, Leo Afonso, and David Martinez will miss out through injuries. Matias Rojas, Diego Gomez, and Noah Allen remain doubtful for the match. Meanwhile, Sergio Busquets and Tomas Aviles will make their return from suspension.

New York City vs Inter Miami Predicted Lineups

New York City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Matthew Freese (GK)

Defenders: Tayvon Gray, Thiago Martins (C), Strahinja Tanasijevic, Kevin O’Toole

Midfielders: James Sands, Keaton Parks, Hannes Wolf, Santiago Rodriguez, Augustin Ojeda

Forward: Alonso Martinez.

Inter Miami (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Drake Callender (C)(GK)

Defenders: Marcelo Weigandt, Ian Fray, Serhiy Kryvtsov, Franco Negri

Midfielders: David Ruiz, Yannick Bright, Benjamin Cremaschi

Forwards: Julian Gressel, Lionel Messi, Leonardo Campana.

Head-to-Head Record

The New Yorkers have the clear upper hand when it comes to head-to-head, having won three of the last five meetings. Inter Miami have failed to win any of the last five as the two teams have played out two draws.

Key Players to Watch in New York City vs Inter Miami

Alonso Martinez (New York City)

New York’s striker Martinez has contributed towards the club’s goals in a significant way, providing 15 goals/assists in the MLS so far. Despite being on the wrong side of a heavy defeat last time around, he scored his team’s only goal in a 5-1 defeat.

Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)

The diminutive Argentine leads the list with 24 goal contributions for the team so far. He came off the bench in his team’s 2-2 draw against Atalanta but scored a brace in the 3-1 win against Philadelphia before that. He will be expected to start the next one and is likely to get on the scoresheet as well.

New York City vs Inter Miami Prediction

The recent head-to-head suggests that the hosts will have the upper hand in this upcoming game. However, their recent form has been awful, to say the least as they are winless in the last five, and will struggle against a star-studded Miami team.

Prediction: New York City 1-3 Inter Miami (Watch Live)

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