Phil Neville's Inter Miami side will be looking to return to winning ways when they welcome high-flyers Nashville SC to the DRV PNK Stadium on Thursday.
Inter Miami remain hopeful of a playoff spot, whilst Nashville have their eyes set on consolidating their position within the top half.
Match preview
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Life under Neville has not always been easy for the newbies in their first full Major League Soccer season, yet the former England women's boss has enjoyed somewhat of an upturn in form in recent weeks.
Following two wins from their opening 12 fixtures, Inter Miami went on to win seven of their next nine, before suffering a comprehensive 4-0 defeat to New York Red Bulls in their last match.
A victory against the Red Bulls would have taken Inter Miami into the playoff spots, but the defeat means there is still work to be done for Neville.
Having missed out on the playoffs in their maiden MLS campaign, the David Beckham-backed franchise will be keen to occupy one of the top seven spots when the regular season concludes.
Currently just missing out in eighth, Inter Miami already look set to better last season's finish of 10th with just under two months of the campaign remaining.
It will be tight for the playoff-chasing sides, as fifth to 10th are all separated by just five points and if Inter Miami are to be amongst the successful teams, they will have to bounce back from their disappointment last time out.
They will face a tough test at home to second-placed Nashville, who themselves have enjoyed a stellar season under Essex-born boss Gary Smith.
A defender for Wycombe Wanderers and Fulham in a playing career that spanned 12 years, Smith has found his home at the Music City, with his side on the brink of their highest-ever MLS finish.
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An MLS Cup winner with Colorado Rapids in 2010, Smith has a reputation for building stubborn sides that are tough to break down, with this Nashville team the latest example of just that.
No side in the Eastern Conference have conceded fewer goals than Nashville, with his former Rapids team level on 23 so far this year.
MLS Cup quarter-finalists in their first season in the division, Nashville will take one step closer to securing their 2021 playoff spot with a victory in Miami.
Similarly to their opponents, Nashville suffered a humiliating defeat in their last match, beaten 2-1 by bottom-placed side Toronto FC.
Rock-bottom of the Eastern Conference, Toronto picked up only their fourth win of the campaign, scoring 11 minutes from time to snatch the win.
Just their third defeat of the season, all of which have come on the road, Nashville have not lost two consecutive MLS matches since August 2020.
However, if they are to leave Florida with a win, Nashville will have to do something they have never managed and beat Inter Miami away from home.
Drawing their first match 0-0 in May, Neville's men triumphed 3-1 in the pair's last meeting back in August, with the upcoming encounter perfectly poised.
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Team News
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Part of Nashville's success this season has been down to their relatively good luck with injuries and the Music City will be hopeful of keeping players out of the treatment room in the end-of-season run-in.
Handwalla Bwana has sat out every Nashville game since mid-June and the 22-year-old winger will be absent for their trip to Miami.
Walker Zimmerman's form for Nashville has been key to their defensive stability and the centre-back will feature once more for the league's strongest backline.
CJ Sapong has featured in every match for Nashville so far this season and the 2012-13 MLS Cup winner will be looking to add to his 10 league goals so far this season.
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By contrast, Inter Miami have had a rotten time with injuries this year and the Herons are without a number of key players for the visit of Nashville.
Former Premier League duo Ryan Shawcross and Kieran Gibbs are both out through injury and are not expected to return until October.
Such is the severity of the Inter Miami injury crisis, Neville could only name seven of the allotted nine substitutes for their defeat to the Red Bulls, with Ventura Alvarado and Joevin Jones expected to be absent once again.
Following an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered earlier in the year, Ian Fray is yet to feature for Inter Miami this season, but the centre-back could be close to a return.
Picking up two yellow cards last time out, Jorge Figal will miss the Nashville fixture through suspension, with Kelvin Leerdam the most likely candidate to replace him.
Gonzalo Higuain is yet to set the world alight since arriving from Juventus a year ago, with the veteran striker only managing nine goals in 21 matches, but he will no doubt retain his space in the Inter Miami squad.
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
Marsman; Gonzalez Pirez, Leerdam, Makoun; Morgan, Gregore, Matuidi, Shea; Pizarro, Higuain, Robinson
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Romney, Zimmerman, Johnston; Washington, Godoy, Mukhtar, Anunga, Lovitz; Sapong, Rios
We say: Inter Miami 1-1 Nashville SC
Nashville have impressed throughout the 2021 campaign and whilst they will most likely have no issue securing a second consecutive playoff spot, they will want to ensure they keep their momentum going until the end of the regular season.
Whilst Nashville have been renowned for bouncing back from defeats with a result, Smith's men have struggled at times on the road, meaning Inter Miami do stand a strong chance of stealing a point.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Inter Miami win with a probability of 36.19%. A win for Nashville SC had a probability of 35.63% and a draw had a probability of 28.2%.
The most likely scoreline for a Inter Miami win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.42%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (7.72%) and 2-0 (6.67%). The likeliest Nashville SC win was 0-1 (11.3%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.21%). The actual scoreline of 1-5 was predicted with a 0.2% likelihood.
