Inter Miami possible starting team against Nashville in CONCACAF Champions Cup

The day has arrived for Inter Miami. On Wednesday, the Herons return to the field to face yet another match, against Nashville, in this gruelling series of encounters, which will conclude and grant them a respite after Saturday’s match against DC United on the road.

However, before contemplating that, the team led by Gerardo Martino aims to complete the task at hand and secure their passage to the quarterfinal round of the CONCACAF Nations League. Following a tense 2-2 draw in the first leg at Geodis Park, Miami understands that the advantage lies on their side thanks to the away goals rule. Nevertheless, the Fort Lauderdale team will struggled to be complacent in any way given the challenge of the first leg, but intend to secure their passage by winning in front of a loud home crowd.

Inter Miami - Nashville: who will start?

The rotations that Martino had planned for the squad were executed in the match against Montreal this past weekend. Therefore, it now seems likely that he will field the best available players to face Nashville, who also arrive with hopes of eliminating their hosts from their first major international tournament.

Players such as Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and especially Lionel Messi, have rested and are expected to have recovered to such an extent that they are ready to play. It will be a tactical decision as to how much they will feature tonight at the Chase Stadium. Injuries mean that Tato remains without Facundo Farias, Robbie Robinson and Benjamin Cremaschi.

Will Messi play for Inter Miami against Nashville?

Clearly, despite the other illustrious names, one in particular gets the most attention. All indications suggest that Messi will indeed have playing time on the field tonight against Nashville. However, there remains a question regarding just how much the Argentine will feature.

According to information from Argentine journalist Gastón Edul, it is certain that Messi will be involved, but we await news on whether he will start or begin on the bench. Even taking his age into account, he’s not the worst impact sub to bring on if things are not going your way.

Possible starting XI for Inter Miami vs Nashville

Given the information available at the time of writing we’d expect Martino to line up as follows: Drake Callender; Julian Gressel, Tomas Aviles, Serhiy Kryvtsov, Nicolas Freire, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets, Diego Gomez, Federico Redondo; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez. Remember you can follow all the action live right here on AS USA, with the inimitable Will Gittins in the hotseat.