New York City FC vs Inter Miami Preview
New York City FC welcomes league leaders Inter Miami to Yankee Stadium on September 21 at 2:00 pm. Both teams are looking to bounce back from setbacks in their midweek fixtures.
Inter Miami leads the race for the Supporters’ Shield and can go one step closer with a victory in the Big Apple. Can New York put a dent in Miami’s league aspirations or will the Herons fly higher than the Pigeons on Saturday?
New York City FC vs Inter Miami Head-To-Head and Key Stats
NYCFC and Inter Miami have met on 11 occasions. New York has been the stronger team in their rivalry with six wins to one and two draws. They last clashed on March 30 at Chase Stadium in regular season action. A tightly contested affair saw the spoils shared in Fort Lauderdale.
The Herons won the battle for possession with 57% and threatened the opposition goal more often with six shots on target from 14 compared to three from 10 for NYCFC. Luis Suarez opened the scoring in the 15th minute when he headed in Julian Gressel’s in swinging free kick. Alonso Martínez levelled for the visitors in the 34th minute, latching on to Keaton Parks’ through ball and firing home inside the box. Both teams had chances to take the lead, but strong showings from New York’s Matthew Freese in goal and Miami’s defence saw the game finish 1-1.
Inter Miami last played on September 18 against Atlanta United on the road. An entertaining clash saw four girls as Tata Martino made eight changes to his Miami side. Miami led for most of the game, but a late goal from Atlanta secured a point for the Five Stripes in a 2-2 draw.
David Ruiz showed excellent composure to open the scoring for Inter Miami. He received Franco Negri’s through ball in the box and took two touches before slotting past Brad Guzan into the bottom right corner. The rest of the first half was quiet and only Ruiz’s goal separated the sides with the Herons entering the break winning 1-0.
A thrilling second half followed. Saba Lobjanidze was first to Pedro Amador’s cross in the 56th minute, and his powerful header levelled the game. Leonardo Campana took just three minutes to regain the lead for Miami. His free kick took a big deflection off the wall and Guzan could only watch the ball ricochet into the net. The Herons couldn’t believe that they didn’t extend their lead in the 83rd minute. Guzan made a spectacular save from close range, before Suarez’s shot was cleared off the goal-line. They paid a minute later when Alexey Miranchuk scored an incredible long-range effort, ending the game 2-2.
New York City FC last played on the same day, welcoming the Philadelphia Union to Yankee Stadium after two games on the road. It was not a joyful homecoming for the Pigeons, however, who fell to their heaviest defeat of the season in a 5-1 dismantling. New York dominated possession and peppered Philly with shots, but a combination of defensive lapses and poor finishing proved costly for the Boys in Blue.
Tai Baribo opened the scoring for the Union in the 15th minute. Olivier Mbaizo headed a cleared corner back into the box and Baribo met it to nod home from close range. Freese probably should have done better to stop the effort. Thiago Martins botched his clearance 10 minutes later to allow Baribo into the box. The Israeli forward played in an on-running Mikkel Uhre who stroked home from 10-yards to double Philly’s lead. Freese made another error in the 31st minute when he fumbled Baribo’s header, allowing Daniel Gazdag to tap into an open net from close range. Adrián Martínez clawed one back for New York, but the Pigeons looked down and out at 3-1 at halftime.
NYCFC couldn’t find the net despite putting the Philly goal under heavy pressure in the second half, hitting the woodwork and forcing sound saves from Andrew Rick. Jakob Glesnes scored a powerful header from a corner in the 73rd minute before Jesús Bueno confirmed New York’s humiliation with a fifth in the 85th.
New York City FC vs Inter Miami Predictions
Correct score prediction: NYCFC 1-2 Inter Miami
Inter Miami has been the best team in the MLS this season, with or without Lionel Messi. The GOAT has only played in nine of their 19 victories in the league, proving they have strength in depth. However, there is no denying that they are even stronger with the Argentinian and a well-rested Messi will probably appear at Chase Stadium, along with several star players who started on the bench or were not in the squad last week. New York City FC is winless in eight league games following their loss to Philadelphia last week. Nick Cushing’s team is slipping down the table and must find form to stay in the playoffs.
Unfortunately for fans of the Pigeons, we do not think that will come against Inter Miami. The Herons proved how good their depth is by just avoiding defeat last week and their stars will enter this match fit and ready. Our soccer prediction is for Inter Miami to defeat NYCFC.
Tata Martino named Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba to the bench last week while Sergio Busquets, Tomas Aviles and Diego Gomez missed out through suspension or injury. Even without those stars, Inter Miami earned a draw and was probably unlucky not to take all three points. With all of those named expected to return against NYCFC, the Herons can go one better. Messi will probably return to the starting XI. Miami has lost just one game with the Argentinian starting.
A well deserved moment for Leo Messi 💪 #IconOfTheMatch @royalcaribbean pic.twitter.com/uTIqyOP5xl
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 15, 2024
There is somewhat of a leadership void at Yankee Stadium. A mix of young and inexperienced MLS players fill out their team. That has played its fair share in their poor run this season with not enough players to galvanise the squad. Inter Miami has an excellent mix. Veteran leaders like Busquets, Messi, Suarez and Alba can carry youngsters like David Ruiz, Diego Gomez and Benjamin Cremaschi through games and pick them up from setbacks. Those leaders will help Miami through the game in New York and claim three points.
Inter Miami has the best attack in the league. They have 67 goals in the MLS this season and boast several reliable goalscorers. The likes of Robert Taylor and Leonardo Campana stepped up in Suarez and Messi’s absence during Copa America. The South Americans are both back though and lead the team’s scoring chart with 17 and 14 goals, respectively. Miami’s strike force has been formidable this season and they can put the sword to the Boys in Blue.
New York City FC vs Inter Miami Betting Tips
Inter Miami are the underdogs in this match despite leading the Eastern Conference, worth +160 with our online sportsbook. New York is not a runaway favourite, however, only slightly in front at +155. The Herons have not failed to win in back-to-back league matches since the start of June and we are backing them to recover from last week’s blip. Bet on Inter Miami to win the game. If you are less enthusiastic about Miami’s chances on the road but do not expect them to lose, a Tie no bet wager on the visitors is worth -114.
Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi will probably start in this match after sitting out last week. They have been excellent in front of goal this season and MLS betting will look favourably on them in this game. Suarez has more goals, but Messi has the better return averaging a goal every 82 minutes. Bet on Messi to enjoy a goalscoring return to the team at Yankee Stadium.
The over/under is set at 2.5 goals for this game. Miami has been the best attacking team in the league this season but has been leaky in defence, allowing more goals than any other team in the Eastern playoff positions. Six of their last seven games have seen three or more goals and we expect the same here. Take the over, worth -161.
Live betting is also an option for this game. Inter Miami took the lead twice on Wednesday night but had to settle for a point. It may be worth looking at the in-play soccer betting markets with this in mind if Miami goes ahead.
New York City FC Team News
Birk Risa suffered a leg injury during the warmup against D.C. United. He has now missed two games, and the severity of his injury is unknown, making him questionable for this game. Malachi Jones is out for the rest of the season after breaking his leg in June. There are otherwise no fresh injury or suspension worries for NYCFC.
- Predicted lineup: Freese, Ilenic, Martins, Tanasijevic, McFarlane, Sands, Parks, Wolf, Rodriguez, Mijatovic, Martinez.
Inter Miami Team News
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba were rested on Wednesday night and are available to play against New York. Tomas Aviles and Sergio Busquets are also available after serving their suspensions during the week. Noah Allen will not play on Saturday because he has been put on concussion protocol. Diego Gomez missed the game against Philly with a hamstring injury and is questionable for this game. Matias Rojas could return from his ankle injury after three weeks on the sidelines.
- Predicted lineup: Callender, Weigandt, Busquets, Aviles, Alba, Ruiz, Bright, Redondo, Gressel, Suarez, Messi.
