Inter Miami take on Cavalier in the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 on Thursday looking to establish an advantage in the first leg.
The Herons easily dispatched Sporting Kansas City in the prior round thanks to superb displays from Lionel Messi in both legs. Though, his availability for this game is up in the air as Javier Mascherano continues to manage his minutes early in the season. As such, the Argentine coach should field a similar lineup to the one that dismantled Houston Dynamo in MLS.
Messi will garner all the attention and spotlight when he plays, but Tadeo Allende and Telasco Segovia's starts shouldn't go unnoticed. Both players are performing well for the Herons early in Mascherano's tenure and should be handed starts once again.
Here's what Inter Miami's lineup could look like on Thursday.
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Inter Miami Predicted Lineup vs. Cavalier (4-3-3)
GK: Oscar Ustari—Ustari continues to be Miami's top option with Drake Callender injured.
RB: Ian Fray—Weigandt is injured, so Fray starts at right back on the back of having his red card successfully appealed.
CB: Gonzalo Lujan—Lujan started last time out against Houston Dynamo.
CB: Noah Allen—Allen completes the center back pairing.
LB: Jordi Alba—Jordi Alba has been in strong form to start the season.
CM: Sergio Busquets—Busquets anchors the midfield.
CM: Federico Redondo—Redondo comes into the side after appearing off the bench.
CM: Telasco Segovia—Segovia was the hero this past weekend rescuing a point for 10-men Inter Miami.
RW: Benjamin Cremaschi—It doesn't seem likely that Messi will play against Cavalier, so Mascherano keeps Cremaschi at right wing.
LW: Tadeo Allende—Allende is on fire to start the season scoring against Houston Dynamo last time out.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Inter Miami Predicted Lineup vs. Cavalier: Concacaf Champions Cup.
