Making their second successive appearance in the CONCACAF Champions Cup (CCC) quarter-finals, Inter Miami head to BMO Stadium on Saturday for the first leg of their tie with Los Angeles FC.
In the previous stage of this tournament, the Black and Gold took out the Columbus Crew 4-2 on aggregate, while the Herons were able to fend off a pesky Cavalier side, advancing by a combined score of 4-0.
Match preview
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LA managed to exercise some demons in the previous stage of this competition by taking out the Columbus Crew, the side that eliminated them from the previous Leagues Cup and denied them a second successive MLS Cup in 2023.
A strong opening leg was enough to see them through as they defeated the Crew 3-0 and were able to weather a storm in leg two, scoring a late goal in a 2-1 defeat.
Steve Cherundolo's men are not in great form heading into this clash, losing four of their last five competitive fixtures, suffering a narrow 3-2 defeat domestically at San Diego FC on Saturday.
The Black and Gold have a 100% record at home in the Champions Cup this year, not conceding a single goal in their two matches played at BMO Stadium.
This is their third appearance in the quarter-finals of this tournament, with Los Angeles winning their previous three matches at this stage by a combined margin of 7-1.
They have won two of their three meetings all-time versus the Herons, with their lone home triumph against them occurring in 2020 by a 1-0 score.
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Miami were able to stave off a surprisingly well-organised Cavalier side, who gave them more problems than anyone could have expected in the previous round.
Ultimately, individual quality won the day, as the Herons claimed a pair of hard-fought 2-0 triumphs to advance into the last eight of this tournament for a second successive occasion.
Javier Mascherano's men had a perfect month of March, winning all six of their competitive fixtures, while they have only dropped points in one of their previous nine matches played across all competitions (a 2-2 draw versus New York City FC).
The Herons lost their only two quarter-final matches played in this competition, with defeats of 2-1 and 3-1, respectively, against Monterrey a season ago.
At the same time, the reigning Supporters' Shield winners have never lost a Champions Cup tie to an MLS side, taking out Nashville SC in the last 16 a year ago and ousting Sporting Kansas City in the opening round this year.
Their previous visit to BMO Stadium ended in a 3-1 victory for Miami, only their second away triumph versus a California club, with the first one coming in San Jose against the Earthquakes in August 2022 (1-0).
Team News
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Since coming off with a leg strain in their 1-0 defeat versus Austin FC, the Black and Gold have been without Jeremy Ebobisse, while Lorenzo Dellavalle remains sidelined with a thigh injury.
Despite being red-carded early in the second half of their weekend fixture with San Diego, Igor Jesus is eligible to play for LAFC on Wednesday.
Denis Bouanga was a big reason they advanced beyond the previous stage, netting a brace in the opening game against Columbus, and a consolation marker in leg two, with Nathan Ordaz also scoring in LA in a match where Hugo Lloris only had one save to collect a clean sheet.
On the Miami side, Marcelo Weigandt and David Ruiz missed their weekend fixture against the Philadelphia Union due to sore hamstrings, while Ryan Sailor was in concussion protocol.
An adductor strain kept David Martinez on the Herons sidelines for that clash, and Tadeo Allende did not feature because of a calf issue.
Luis Suarez scored the winner in both legs of their tie versus Cavalier, with Lionel Messi adding some insurance in leg two and Allende netting in the opener, while Oscar Ustari collected two clean sheets.
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Palencia, Marlon, Long, Hollingshead; Delgado, Jesus, Tillman; Martinez, Giroud, Bouanga
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
Ustari; Fray, Falcon, Aviles, Alba; Picault, Redondo, Busquets, Segovia; Messi, Suarez
We say: Los Angeles FC 1-1 Inter Miami
These are two highly experienced squads that have played in their share of knockout ties and each will know that this is a marathon rather than a sprint, which is why we do not expect to see as much urgency on either side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
