Nashville SC vs Inter Miami

Inter Miami hit the road for the second consecutive game as they take on fellow MLS Eastern Conference side Nashville SC in the 2023 Leagues Cup final at GEODIS Park.

Both sides have already qualified for the Concacaf Champions Cup (the top three teams in Leagues Cup gain automatic qualification into the continental tournament), and they’ll now look to take the next step and lift the trophy.

Although Miami raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first half against Philadelphia Union, the final 4-1 scoreline was slightly misleading. Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino’s side were clinical and scored four goals on just six shots, but were outplayed in the second 45 and may have been somewhat lucky to only concede one goal. Lionel Messi and Josef Martinez got on the scoresheet while Jordi Alba scored his first goal for the south Florida club.

Nashville SC, on the other hand, thought they had found the opening goal against Monterrey with a beautiful, curling effort from reigning MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar, but the goal was ruled out for offside as a Nashville attacker was blocking Esteban Andrada’s line of sight. However, Gary Smith’s side would go on to triumph 2-0 over the Liga MX giants with goals from Fabrice Picault and Sam Surridge.

The Boys in Gold have tasted victory on four separate occasions in their eight meetings with Miami, with two draws separating the teams and the Herons winning just twice in the series.

Nashville SC vs Inter Miami H2H record (Last Three Games)

There are no new injury concerns for Martino, and he’ll probably pick a similar starting 11 to the one that toppled Philadelphia.

Miami’s front thee of Messi-Martinez-Taylor have been on a tear recently, and it wouldn’t make sense to take off either Martinez or Taylor and mess up their chemistry with a trophy on the line.

Inter Miami predicted lineup vs Nashville SC ( 4-3-3 ): Callender; Yedlin, Kryvstov, Miller, Yedlin; Arroyo, Busquets, Cremaschi; Messi, Martinez, Taylor

Leading up to the semi-final against the Union, many thought that one of the league’s best defensive teams would be able to limit Miami and Messi in some capacity. But that really wasn’t the case, and Philadelphia head coach Jim Curtin tweaked his starting 11 that ended up working in favor for the Herons.

Gary Smith is also a coach that sets his teams up in a defensive manner, but will they stick to their principles when the best player in the world comes to town with silverware on the line? Nashville will have plenty of chances to spring forward on counter-attacks due to Miami playing with a high-line, but they’ll need to make the most of them if they want to end the night lifting the Leagues Cup trophy.

Having Messi in anyone’s team makes them favorites, even with Miami’s leaky backline.

Prediction: Nashville SC 2-3 Inter Miami

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