A trophy was on the line the last time these two sides met, and it took a marathon penalty shootout to separate them in the Leagues Cup Final. It was a thrilling encounter, and there will be hope for more of the same in this midweek MLS matchup.
Jack Collins here from The Game Day to look at a rematch of that recent encounter and to wonder if Nashville can exact revenge for that loss, stopping the Messi Express in Miami from its relentless charge in the process.
Inter Miami CF vs. Nashville SC Odds
Inter Miami CF vs. Nashville SC betting lines were current as of Monday, Aug. 28, at 10 am ET with bet365 Sportsbook.
- 3-Way Moneyline: Miami (-167) • Tie (+320) • Nashville (+425)
- Total Goals: Over 2.5 (-167) • Under 2.5 (+130)
- Both Teams To Score: Yes (-150) • No (+130)
Inter Miami CF vs. Nashville SC Match Prediction
Inter Miami CF 3:1 Nashville SC
It’s difficult to bet against Miami at the moment. It feels like the club is on a relentless positive charge, which was reinforced when they went to Harrison and beat the Red Bulls while leaving Lionel Messi on the bench for the majority of the game.
Head coach Tata Martino spoke of managing the minutes of his star player, which seems reasonable given Messi and Miami had a packed schedule on the way to winning the Leagues Cup.
But with this potentially being the Argentine’s home debut in MLS, it seems likely Miami’s magician returns to star billing, given he only played half an hour at the weekend.
Sergio Busquets was also rested, entering the fray at the same time as his old Barcelona teammate. Their introduction sparked a return to the formation we saw Miami utilize across the course of the Leagues Cup, rather than the more conservative shape Martino had started their game with at Red Bull Arena.
Messi scored a delightful goal to kill the game after coming off the bench, splitting four defenders with a scything pass before collecting the return to tap home. Since the 36-year-old joined, the Florida side has won nine games in a row, either in regulation time or on penalties. The trajectory looks very good.
But while Nashville also reached the Leagues Cup Final, their return to MLS action struck a different chord, as they were humbled 4-0 in Georgia by a rampant Atlanta United side.
The performance will have worried Gary Smith, not only because Nashville was completely overrun defensively, but they also failed to create in the attacking phases with just one shot on target across the whole of the 90 minutes.
Truthfully, Nashville looked off the pace for the whole game, which is not what you want to be doing with a player performing at a Landon Donovan MLS MVP level.
Nashville gave Atlanta all the time and space in the world to be able to create opportunities, and a lack of intensity allowed Thiago Almada to run the game at his own speed.
This isn’t the first time Nashville have struggled on the road this season. In fact, their record of three wins, three draws and seven losses on its travels translates to less than a point a game, and right now, it feels like DRV PNK Stadium might be the hardest place to go in MLS.
The Boys in Gold simply cannot be as bad again as they were on Saturday, but with the context of a potential Messi home MLS debut coming into play, it would be unwise to be looking at anything but a home win in this game.
Inter Miami CF vs. Nashville SC Best Bet
Total Goals: Over 2.5 (-167) • bet365 Sportsbook
The last meeting between the pair might have been a tight 1-1 in regulation, but with Nashville’s defense looking as leaky as it did at the weekend and Messi having been rested, this one feels like it has far more goals in it than the Leagues Cup Final.
