Fantastic campaign for Inter Miami
Lionel Messi arrived last summer in the MLS in a groundbreaking move and quickly made his presence felt, leading Inter Miami to a Leagues Cup title. While they ultimately missed the playoffs, the club has bounced back in a big way this term. The Herons own the best record in Major League Soccer at 19-7-4, but that’s not only because of Messi.
Aside from the Argentine’s 14 goals and 10 assists, offseason acquisition Luis Suarez actually leads the way with 17 goals to his name. The Uruguayan is absolutely thriving in his new surroundings, also supplying six assists. Numerous others are also doing their part in the final third including Robert Taylor, Jordi Alba, and Leonardo Campana. This is a very well-rounded attack.
Last Saturday, Miami looked to be on their way to a much-needed three points after Campana’s goal in the 75th minute but New York City FC salvaged a draw with an equalizer at the death thanks to James Sands. Although it was a disappointing result for Tata Martino’s side, they will be feeling confident heading back home for Saturday’s encounter. They own a 10-2-3 record at Chase Stadium and sit as a -195 favorite here at Sports Interaction. Inter beat Charlotte in July.
Charlotte clinging onto playoff berth
Charlotte is having a respectable campaign and will most likely make the playoffs as long as they don’t completely unravel. They sit in sixth spot in the East with an 11-11-8 record but have gone winless in their last four road games, which isn’t exactly a great sign ahead of this visit to Chase Stadium.
On a more positive note, Charlotte was firing on all cylinders on matchday 34 on home soil against the Revolution. Pep Biel, Patrick Agyemang, Liel Abada, and Kerwin Vargas all hit the back of the net in the victory. That was the club’s first win in six matches, though. Agyemang has been their best player up top, scoring eight goals and setting up another three. Vargas also has six goals.
As the Crown already knows, Saturday will not be easy, especially away from home. They’ve only won two of their past eight meetings with Inter Miami and of course, several of those were without the likes of Messi and Suarez leading the attack. That’s why the visitors are such a heavy underdog at soccer betting sites.
Injury news
Miami is still dealing with its fair share of injuries. Facundo Farias, Nicolas Freire, and Sergiy Kryvtsov are all sidelined with knee issues. Alba and Noah Allen won’t be able to feature after receiving suspensions for too many yellow cards. Diego Gomez and Diego Martinez are also injured and haven’t played for a couple of matches. Charlotte seems to be more healthy and will only be without the services of Nikola Petkovic and Jahlane Forbes.
