After two months of inactivity and Luis Suarez‘s signing, Inter Miami laces up for a global pre-season campaign, with El Salvador as their first stop. Lionel Messi and Co. will play the El Salvador NT in a friendly at the Estadio Cuscatlan, San Salvador on Friday. The Herons’ coach, Tata Martino, was quite unsure if the likes of Messi and Suarez would travel.
However, Miami has included both the veterans and other superstars in their travel list. Now let’s see who all are expected to line up for David Beckham‘s side. After the El Salvador match, the Herons will return to the US to play FC Dallas. Then, Lionel Messi’s team will resume their overseas tour, visiting Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and Japan, before restarting the MLS action.
El Salvador vs Inter Miami: Expected Lineups and Prediction
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Inter Miami’s roster has seen significant changes lately. Starting goalkeeper Drake Callender is not with the squad, as he is currently linked up with USMNT January camp. Midfielder Jean Mota also is not with the side, while Ian Fray and Franco Negri continue to recover from long-term injuries. Luis Suarez and Julian Gressel joined the side. The predicted Inter Miami starting lineup (3-5-3): Dos Santos (GK) — Gressel, Yedlin, Aviles, Allen, Alba — Busquets, Gregore, Cremaschi — Messi, Suarez.
El Salvador head coach David Doniga will not have regulars Alex Roldan or Eric Zavaleta as part of their squad, with those players instead choosing to begin their preseason ramp-up with their MLS clubs. Experienced full-back Bryan Tamacas and his 63 international caps lead the El Salvador side for this match, deployed on the right flank. 33-year-old forward Nelson Bonilla is the main threat up front in this squad, with 19 international goals to his name across 56 caps.
The predicted El Salvador starting lineup (3-5-2): M. Gonzalez (GK) — Tamacas, Clavel, Sibrian, J. Cruz, Flores — Ceren, Cartagena, C. Martinez — Bonilla, Ferman.
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With all four Blaugrana icons lining up, Inter Miami seems to have a clear upper hand over Salvador. Messi could start the new year the way he started his Miami stint with a goal. San Salvador could witness Suarez’s debut goal who will be eager to get the ball rolling. We predict the Herons to win 3-1. vs. Salvador.
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El Salvador vs Inter Miami: How to Watch and Odds
The friendly match will kick off at 8 pm ET. It will be livestreamed on MLSsoccer.com in English and MLSes.com in Spanish. However, unlike the Herons’ forthcoming fixtures in the pre-season, the El Salvador match is unavailable on Apple TV with the MLS Season pass. On Betonred, the highest odds for El Salvador are 5.8 and that of Inter Miami are 1.39. The highest odds for a draw are 4.4.
Inter Miami and El Salvador will play against each other for the first time. El Salvador has not tasted a victory in their last 15 matches. Inter Miami on the other hand, had gone winless in eight of their last outings. Now that Inter Miami has bolstered its roster with fresh additions, Messi and Co. could get back on the winning track by outclassing El Salvador.
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What are your predictions for the Miami-Salvador game? Tell us in the comments below.
