Overview
In the first phase of the season, Inter Miami showed absolute dominance. Lionel Messi and his teammates set a new record with 74 points after 34 rounds, leading the Eastern Conference standings.
Inspiration from former Barcelona stars like Messi, Suarez, Busquets and Alba helps Inter Miami become a strong candidate for the 2024 MLS championship.
Inter Miami scored 79 goals and had the strongest attack in the league. Defensively, they also conceded only 49 goals.
Meanwhile, Atlanta United finished in ninth place, just enough to secure a playoff spot against eighth-placed Montreal Impact. In this match, coach Rob Valentino's team won on penalties to advance to the quarterfinals of the conference.
However, the play-off qualification meant Atlanta United had to face an in-form Inter Miami.
Of course, Atlanta United is not an easy opponent to bully, but Inter Miami has the right to be confident thanks to the home field advantage. In the last 4 home matches hosting Atlanta United, Inter Miami won 3. Besides, they also won 7/8 recent home matches, an extremely impressive achievement.
The support from the fans will be the basis for Messi and his teammates to think about a victory. More importantly, famous stars like Messi or Suarez can make a difference for Inter Miami in this match.
Remember, Inter Miami also has a slight advantage over Atlanta United in terms of physical strength as they do not have to play in the 16-team play-off round.
Human resources situation
Inter Miami will be without Farrias, Freire, Ustari and Afonso due to injury.
On the other side of the front line, Silva and Westberg were also absent for the same reason.
Expected lineup:
Inter Miami: Ustari, Aviles, Kryvtsov, Allen, Gressel, Ruiz, Redondo, Suarez, Messi, Taylor, Campana.
Atlanta United: Guzan, Hernandez, Gregersen, Williams, Amador, Slisz, Miranchuk, Fortune, Lobzhanidze, Thiare, Mosquera.
The match between Inter Miami and Atlanta United takes place at 7:30 a.m. on October 26 (Vietnam time).
