Everyone’s talking about Inter Miami. Lionel Messi made his first appearance for the club off the bench in their Leagues Cup opener against Cruz Azul and marked it with a glorious stoppage-time free kick to clinch the game.
Now he potentially looks set to make his first start as Atlanta United travel to Florida to get their Leagues Cup campaign underway.
Jack Collins here from The Game Day to look at a matchup between two of the most exciting teams in the US right now.
Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United Odds
Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United betting lines are current as of Monday, July 24, at 12 pm ET at bet365 Sportsbook.
- Three-Way Moneyline: Miami (+115) • Tie (+250) • Atlanta (+210)
- Total Goals: Over 2.5 (-150) • Under 2.5 (+115)
- Both Teams To Score: Yes (-175) • No (+125)
Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United Match Prediction
Inter Miami 1:2 Atlanta United
Miami have sometimes felt like the center of the soccer universe this past week. After all the noise and fanfare of the signing of the world’s greatest player, though, it felt like the actual onfield action had been relegated to an afterthought.
This is no longer the case after Messi finally appeared off the bench in an Inter Miami jersey for the first time on Friday. And in the game's dying seconds, he curled home a trademark free kick into the top corner, and the roof came off DRV PNK Stadium.
If Hollywood’s writers weren’t on strike, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was the end of a well-scripted blockbuster hit.
Tata Martino’s at the wheel, Lionel Messi is doing Lionel Messi things, Sergio Busquets ran the second half from the base of midfield, and the cavalry looks like it’s on the way in the form of Jordi Alba and perhaps Luis Suarez.
For a club that couldn’t buy a morale boost for the first half of the MLS season, fans must feel they’ve died and gone to heaven. The green expanse of that pitch in Florida is the equivalent of the fields of Elysium for those who wanted to see the great Barcelona band back together in force.
But before that cavalry arrives, this Miami team has an arduous task ahead of them in the shape of Atlanta United coming to town and a contender for the Argentinian No. 10 throne. Thiago Almada is a diminutive, creative force from the center of the park, pulling strings from open play and delivering time and time again from a dead ball. Sound familiar?
And that’s very much not the only narrative on show here. Tata Martino and Josef Martinez were a potent force together in the red and black of the Five Stripes, winning Atlanta’s first (and only) MLS Cup in 2018 – a season in which Martinez scored 35 goals in all competitions.
So there’s plenty of intrigue around this, but on the pitch, it’s a question of momentum vs. rest. Atlanta have had a 10-day break since their last game, while Miami opened their Leagues Cup account on Friday.
That rest might allow Atlanta’s superstar striker, Giorgos Giakoumakis, to return to the starting lineup. He missed a few games after picking up a stress injury against Philadelphia, but was fit enough to feature for the last few minutes in Atlanta’s previous game – and will be desperate to get back into his rhythm and back amongst the goals.
His fitness, Atlanta’s rest time, and the expectation that has only grown in Miami feel like major signifiers for the upset. Atlanta will want to prove a point against their old coach and talisman, and Almada will see an opportunity to write the obvious headlines against his idol.
Miami’s momentum might manifest more magic, but after a fairytale script the last time out, Atlanta should have enough to crash the party and get their campaign off to the perfect start.
Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United Best Bet
Atlanta to Win (+210) • bet365 Sportsbook
Busquets might have looked imperious, and Messi magical in the second half against Cruz Azul, but Atlanta have enough artillery in their arsenal to upset the applecart here. The upset and the away win look like a good bet.
Giorgos Giakoumakis Anytime Goalscorer (+160) • bet365 Sportsbook
The Greek striker has missed a few games recently, but feels like he’ll be back to full capacity by the time this game kicks off. He’s a killer in the box, a serious handful for defenders, and he’s scoring at a rate of one every 97 minutes in MLS so far. Miami remain unsteady in defending set pieces, and he can profit from that here.
