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Inter Miami predicted lineup vs Chicago Fire
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The Herons continue their playoff push in desperate need for maximum points, having failed to beat their previous two Eastern Conference opponents. Fans are turning up the heat on Tata Martino as they face Chicago Fire on Wednesday night, asking just how bad is Lionel Messi’s injury?
Will he make the trip to the Windy City?
Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire MLS team news
Tata Martino played a peculiar formation in the home draw against NYCFC, trying to adapt to the injuries and suspensions. Other than Messi, he was without midfielder Diego Gómez and left back Jordi Alba. The US international right back, DeAndre Yedlin, will return for this game having served his one-game suspension.
Here we can expect to see a more regular 4-3-3, and as has been customary in away games we can expect Martino to try and create a pacey side capable of counter attacks.
Chicago Fire have had a turbulent season, but despite winning just one game in eight, they find themselves in with a chance to take the final playoff spot.
Inter Miami predicted lineup – 4-3-3
Callender – Yedlin, Kryvstov, Miller, Allen – Cresmaschi, Busquets, Arroyo – Taylor, Martínez, Farias
Inter Miami predicted lineup vs Chicago Fire – Our top three
Lionel Messi – his participation remains a mystery
It is no surprise that Inter Miami fare much worse without Messi on the field. With just one victory in the five games he has missed, against Kansas City, the win rate stands at just 20%. His all-round performances since lifting the trophy with Argentina has him in with a shout for another Ballon D’Or.
But since Argentina’s win over Ecuador something simply hasn’t been right, the official word is a muscular injury or muscular fatigue. But suspicions are growing that it is something more serious, given that Messi hasn’t even been on the bench for the last three matches.
I asked Tata Martino when Leo Messi might be able to return to game action, and the coach deflected:
“If I say a timeline and it doesn’t happen — today I appear to be the biggest ticket salesperson in MLS.”
I reminded Tata he gave us a timeline for Gregore in August, and the… pic.twitter.com/I7Ad7c9bx0
— Franco Panizo (@FrancoPanizo) October 3, 2023
Does he return now? It is highly unlikely that Martino would risk him on a road game, with two home matches to come in short succession.
Josef Martínez – has previous against Chicago
With question marks over Messi and fellow South American striker Leo Campana still in recovery from a slight injury, the prolific Venezuelan goal scorer will be charged with leading the line.
The 30 year old has a fabulous record against the Fire, scoring five times in seven appearances. His team has always won that fixture when he has found the net, a good omen for Inter Miami?
Dixon Arroyo – Inter Miami’s Fire fighter
The Ecuadorian midfielder has been unspectacular but effective in his defensive midfield role, supporting Sergio Busquets. Arroyo has been an integral ball winner and that will have added value in this fixture, where he is set to track Xherdan Shaqiri.
If Arroyo can suffocate the Swiss international, who leads the assist rankings for Chicago, it will give Inter Miami a good chance of a clean sheet.
Inter Miami predicted lineup vs Chicago Fire – The Final Word
Three of the last four meetings have been high scoring affairs, with two 3-2 score lines and a 3-1 since 2021. Inter Miami haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last three games, in fact the only shutout in their previous seven was against basement club Toronto FC.
With both teams knowing that a point might not be enough, depending on results in Wednesday night’s other games, we could see a real end-to-end tussle.
Traditionally, the games in transition favours Tata Martino’s teams, and if Josef Martínez is firing on all cylinders it could tip the balance towards the away team. Even without Messi, Miami can snatch this one.
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