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Orlando City vs Inter Miami Preview
It’s another big game week in the MLS. Orlando City will host Inter Miami in a clash between two Florida rivals. The game takes place on Wednesday, May 15th at 8:30 pm EST, at Inter & Co Stadium. These teams have different ambitions this season, but both are desperate to win.
Inter Miami has all the star power and currently tops the Eastern Conference. They’re riding a seven-game undefeated streak in the MLS. Meanwhile, Orlando has endured mixed fortunes and inconsistent form. Lionel Messi and Miami’s roster of superstars seize the imagination. There’s a good reason they enter this game as favourites. But Orlando remains dangerous and can wound their state rivals.
Orlando City vs Inter Miami Key Stats and Head-to-Head
David Beckham’s franchise is one of the youngest in the MLS. But they’ve dominated in the Sunshine State. Miami emerged victorious in three of their past five matches against Orlando. They only lost once while there was also a tie.
Orlando suffered a humiliating 5-0 road game defeat in their last clash with Inter Miami. This game was in March 2024 at Chase Stadium. It was a historic occasion for Miami because it saw them post their biggest winning margin in franchise history.
Luis Suarez scored his first two goals in the MLS. He put his team 2-0 up after just 11 minutes. The former Liverpool striker showed his class by adding two assists. He should have bagged a hat-trick but opted to pass to Robert Taylor instead. It was a classy move from the Uruguayan.
Then it became the Messi show. Jordi Alba went on a breathtaking run before exchanging passes with the Argentine. His shot bounced off the post, and Messi tapped in the rebound. Later, Suarez supplied Messi’s second goal of the game. He crossed the ball into the box and Messi scored a brilliant header.
Their previous meeting was a 1-1 tie in September, 2023. This time Messi was unavailable and Orlando’s Duncan McGuire stole his thunder. McGuire scored his ninth goal of the campaign to seal a draw. It’s difficult to gain useful analysis from this game because it was a depleted Miami team.
Inter Miami are favourites to win in this MLS game. They’re in excellent form and currently top the Eastern Conference with 27 points. Miami is the most likely team for anyone betting on the MLS Cup this season. They’ve also scored the most goals in the entire MLS this year with an impressive 35. That’s 12 more than the LA Galaxy who have 23 in the Western Conference.
They’ve also won their past five games in style. These were in the MLS and they scored 19 goals. However, they crashed out of the CONCACAF Champion’s Cup in April.
It’s a very different story for Orlando City. Oscar Pareja’s side secured an outstanding comeback win against the Philadelphia Union to win 3-2. They overcame adversity as Luis Muriel scored his first two goals for the franchise. The Colombian arrived with a big reputation from Serie A’s Atalanta but struggled to adapt to the MLS.
Orlando’s talisman, Duncan McGuire, also scored in this exciting game. He added his fifth goal of the season. This is good news for Pareja because he will need his main forwards to fire against Miami. However, Orlando lost their previous two games against Toronto and Cincinnati.
Even the soccer hipsters can’t pretend that Lionel Messi isn’t the man to watch in this game. The World Cup winner is in breathtaking form. He leads the MLS with 12 assists this season. Meanwhile, he also has 10 goals for the franchise. Luis Suarez is joint-top of the scoring charts with an impressive 11 goals.
Interestingly, these teams have conceded the same number of goals with 20 apiece. They’ve only had two clean sheets, each with both sides achieving these at home. Miami has a surprisingly vulnerable defence. However, they consistently outgun their opponents. That’s a massive problem for Orlando.
Orlando City vs Inter Miami Predictions
Correct Score Prediction: Orlando City 1-3 Inter Miami
Betting on Inter Miami is wise because they should win this game convincingly. They had some outstanding moments throughout this MLS regular season. Our online sportsbook has Miami as a 21/20 favourite. This means that a $10 stake would see a $10.50 profit. That’s a substantial return for a team in Miami’s current form.
The quality of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez will be too much for Orlando’s defence to handle. They already suffered a brutal loss to their state rivals earlier this season. Even more ominously, Miami is spreading goals around their team. They’re not only depending on Messi and Suarez.
Matias Rojas is one to watch because he has three goals in his past two games. The Paraguayan exists in Messi’s shadow, but he’s capable of outstanding moments. He showed his set-piece threat when he scored a sensational goal against Montreal.
Arguably, Orlando has the better goalkeeper. Peru icon Pedro Gallese has over 100 caps for his country and is a mainstay in Orlando’s defence. Some analysts think Drake Callender is a weak link in a strong Miami roster.
Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets provides much-needed steel in midfield. The defensive stalwart is one of the greatest to play the position. He can dominate Orlando by himself.
However, if Orlando has one wild card, it’s Luis Muriel. Fans have high hopes after his morale-boosting double against Philadelphia. Was this an anomaly or has he finally settled into the MLS? If it’s the latter, he can exploit Miami’s inconsistent defence and we may see Orlando moving up the table.
Live betting is a great option for this game because both teams offer a goal threat. The odds will shift if something dramatic happens or one team dominates. If Orlando scores first, it would be wise to bet on Miami to win the second half.
Orlando City vs Inter Miami Betting Tips
Inter Miami are favourites in this game but it’s still worth betting on them. Meanwhile, Orlando City are 11/5 underdogs. This means that a $10 stake would net returns of $22. The last time Orlando defeated Miami was almost a year ago in May 2023. Can history repeat itself?
Betting on soccer is exciting because there are so many markets. This game will probably see plenty of goals because both teams offer their opponents chances. The over-under market is interesting because it has both teams to score at 1/2. This means that $10 could make a $5 profit.
With Luis Suarez and Luis Muriel scoring goals in recent weeks, it’s easy to see this happening. Some punters enjoy betting on first or anytime goalscorers. Both men could find the back of the net again in this mid-week fixture.
It may be worth betting on there being over 2.5 goals. This correlates with our predicted Orlando City 1-3 Inter Miami scoreline. Our sportsbook prices this at 4/7, so a $10 stake would see a $5.71 profit. It’s also 8/11 for Inter Miami to lead 0-1 at any point in the game. The same stake would see returns of $17.27. It’s easy to see that happening with Miami’s goal threat.
Remember to take advantage of our welcome bonus after registration. This allows new users to bet on markets and sports without risk. Why not bet on Inter Miami to win the MLS Cup at 19/10? They’re the current competition favourites and a $10 bet could win you $19.
Orlando City Team News and Predicted Line-Up
Oscar Pareja has some big decisions to make after this game. He might stick with the same line-up that valiantly fought back against Philadelphia. Rodrigo Schlegel will probably start at centre-back after returning from suspension. Luis Muriel and Duncan McGuire will lead the line after their partnership showed promising signs. Dagur Dan Þórhallsson is also fully fit to start after returning as a substitute last time.
- Predicted starting line-up: Pedro Gallese, David Brekalo, Wilder Cartagena, Rodrigo Schlegel, Kyle Smith, Iván Angulo, Dagur Dan Þórhallsson, Nicolás Lodeiro, Facundo Torres, Duncan McGuire, and Luis Muriel.
Inter Miami Team News and Predicted Line-Up
Predictably, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez will lead the attack for Inter Miami. The duo has 22 goals between them this season. This game may come too soon for their former Barcelona teammate, Jordi Alba. He is back in training after a hamstring injury, but Martino won’t rush his return. Franco Negri will continue at left-back in his place. Meanwhile, Tomas Aviles returns from suspension and could replace Serhiy Kryvtsov at the heart of Miami’s defence.
- Predicted starting line-up: Drake Callender, Marcelo Weigandt, Tomas Aviles, Nicolás Freire, Franco Negri, David Ruiz, Sergio Busquets, Yannick Bright, Matias Rojas, Lionel Messi, and Luis Suarez.
