Nashville SC vs Inter Miami: Expected Lineups, Injury News, Predictions, Head-to-Head Stats & How To Watch Lionel Messi Play in CONCACAF Champions Cup

It was a rather forgetful clash for Nashville SC when they hosted Inter Miami in August 2023. Then, Lionel Messi helped Miami win their first-ever trophy, beating Nashville in the Leagues Cup final. Now, Nashville again hosts its Eastern Conference rival in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup RO16 on Thursday night in Geodis Park. Considering how the MLS season has panned out so far for the two clubs, the Herons seem to have an upper hand.

In the MLS, Miami won twice and drew once in the first three matches and tops the table in the East. Whereas, Nashville is the 10th seed, with two draws in two matches. Anyhow, Nashville would want to seek revenge and a knockout stage seems perfect for it.

Inter Miami vs Nashville: Injury Report and Expected Starting XIs

Nashville injury news

The Coyotes’ left-winger Randall Leal is currently nursing a longitudinal tendon tear. The club has not announced his expected date of return. Anyhow, Nashville only has Leal on their injury list.

Nashville SC’s probable starting XI

(3-5-2): Joe Willis; Lukas MacNaughton, Walker Zimmerman, Jack Maher; Shaq Moore, Sean Davis, Anibal Godoy, Alex Muyl, Jacob Shaffelburg; Tyler Boyd, Teal Bunbury

Inter Miami injury news

The David Beckham co-owned side has Franco Negri, Ian Fray, Facundo Farias, and Benjamin Cremaschi on their injury list. All three except Cremaschi suffer from a cruciate ligament tear, while he is nursing a pubalgia. Meanwhile, star left-back Jordi Alba was reportedly absent during training but hasn’t been left out of the roster yet.

Inter Miami’s probable starting XI

(4-3-3): Drake Callender; Julian Gressel, Tomas Aviles, Nicolas Freire, Jordi Alba; David Ruiz, Sergio Busquets, Diego Gomez; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Robert Taylor.

David Ruiz was the only absentee in Miami’s last match against Orlando City. Now, that he has replaced DeAndre Yedlin in the Herons roster, Gressel could switch to Yedlin’s position at the back. Moreover, should Alba miss out, Tata Martino would likely bring in Noah Allen.

Now, let’s look at the head-to-head stats of these teams, predictions, and more.

Nashville vs Miami: H2H, prediction, and streaming details

Nashville-Miami: H2H

Nashville and Inter Miami have faced each other 10 times across competitions. Nashville has won four matches out of the 10. The Herons managed to secure only two wins against the Eastern rivals. Four of the 10 meetings have ended in a draw. Both last met after the Leagues Cup final in an MLS tie. The game ended as a goalless draw.

READ MORE: With Kevin De Bruyne Chasing His Record, Lionel Messi Makes History With Inter Miami 4,320 Miles Away

Prediction

This MLS season is yet to see a scoring spree from Nashville SC. They’ve scored only once in two matches. Inter Miami, on the other hand, has scored eight goals in three matches. Notably, their last match was a 5-0 rout against Orlando. Hence, we predict Inter Miami to beat Nashville 2-0.

Where to watch the CONCACAF clash?

Fans will be able to stream the match live in English on Fox Sports 2 and in Spanish on TUDN.

Tell your prediction for the Nashville-Inter Miami tie in the comments below.

READ MORE: Lionel Messi Reclaims Throne, Surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo in Inter Miami’s Dominant 5–0 Derby Win