MLS
Inter Miami confirmed team news: Luis Suárez on the bench against the New England Revolution
Captain Lionel Messi will start at Gillette Stadium but Tata Martino is without other superstar members of his squad.
Inter Miami take on New England Revolution on Saturday, looking to build on the momentum from some positive recent results. The Herons secured wins over Nashville and Sporting Kansas City in their last two fixtures, helping them to return to the top of the Western Conference standings.
Tata Martino’s team has looked more settled in recent weeks but the Miami head coach has some tough decisions to make ahead of the New England clash. The Revolution play on an artificial turf surface at Gillette Stadium, something that could cause a problem for Miami’s aging stars. Here’s how they line up...
Are Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez playing for Inter Miami?
Only one of them. Lionel Messi starts for Inter Miami, but Luis Suarez is on the bench. Soon after he arrived in MLS, Lionel Messi was asked for his thoughts on the prospects of playing on artificial surfaces. Non-grass fields are typically less forgiving on players’ joints and are particularly unpopular with older stars, who see them as a potential injury risk.
At the time, Messi insisted that he had no concerns about playing on artificial surfaces. Last August he told reporters: “The truth is my youth was spent on artificial turf, my whole life was on that pitch,” adding “it’s been a while since I’ve played on artificial turf, but I have no problem adapting myself again.”
However Luis Suarez seems less keen on the prospect of playing on artificial surfaces, something that he avoided during his time in Brazil. The veteran Uruguayan enjoyed a successful spell with Gremio before joining Miami but was typically rested for any fixtures on artificial turf.
What is the Inter Miami injury list?
The situation is made more precarious by the fact that the Herons are still without a number of important first team players. Former Barcelona star Jordi Alba was the latest to succumb to a muscle injury, hobbling off late on in the win over Sporting Kansas City earlier this month.
The Herons are also without recent signing Federico Redondo after the young midfielder sustained a torn lateral knee ligament in March. He is not expected to return for another month. Ian Fray, Facundo Farias and Robbie Robinson are still recovering from long-term injuries.
Less serious are the muscular injuries to Sergiy Kryvtsov, Robert Taylor and Leonardo Campana. All three have picked up knocks in the past month and are thought to be close to a return to the team. Saturday’s trip to New England, however, may come a little to soon for them to be involved.