INTER MIAMI
Will Messi and Luis Suárez play against El Salvador? Inter Miami starting lineup
Tata Martino has taken a 20-man squad to San Salvador for Friday’s preseason friendly against El Salvador’s national team.
El Salvador vs Inter Miami live online: score, stats and updates | MLS friendly
Inter Miami step up their preseason with the first in a series of friendlies in 2024. Lionel Messi and Co. take on El Salvador at Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador later this evening - the first time in history that the Herons have faced a national team. It will be the first of seven warm-up matches as part of the team’s preparation for the new MLS season which kicks off in just over a month’s time, in which they hope to make it to the playoffs at the very least.
Debuts for Inter Miami’s newboys
Tonight’s game will see Luis Suárez make his debut after being named in the starting XI. The 36-year-old will line up alongside his old sparring partner Lionel Messi. The pair played a total of 258 games together at Barça, combining for 99 goals - 56 of them scored by the Argentinean courtesy of a Suárez assist (Messi set up El Pistolero for the other 43...). The last time they appeared together on-field was in the quarter finals of the Champions League in August 2020 - a night both would rather forget as Barça suffered a humiliating 2-8 drubbing by Bayern Munich.
Inter Miami squad
Goalkeepers
- CJ Dos Santos, Cole Jensen
Defenders
- Jordi Alba, Noah Allen, Tomás Avilés, Sergii Kryvtsov, Christopher McVey, Ryan Sailor, DeAndre Yedlin
Midfielders
- Sergio Busquets, Benjamin Cremaschi, Facundo Farías, Gregore, Julian Gressel, David Ruiz, Lawson Sunderland, Robert Taylor
Forwards
- Leonardo Campana, Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez
Suárez isn’t the only one who will make his debut against El Salvador. German midfielder Julian Gressel joined on a free transfer from Columbus Crew at the start of the New Year and starts at right wing back.
Martino is expected to give everyone who made the trip some playing time. With just three forwards in the travelling squad (Leonardo Campana, Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez) there are relatively few attacking options. At Barça, Messi played on the right with Suárez through the middle - it looks like the pair will have similar role now they’ve been reunited in Miami.
From what we have seen in training, most probably we will get to see Messi and Luis Suárez linking up together either from the start or at some point during the match. There is also a change in the goalkeeping department as Drake Callender is on duty with the USMNT. CJ dos Santos and Cole Jensen are expected to be given a half each.