Inter Miami hits the road to take on reigning MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew in an Eastern Conference top of the table clash at Lower.com Field.
Miami is coming off three consecutive draws in Major League Soccer action, all against teams in the Eastern Conference: Atlanta United, NYCFC and Charlotte FC. The Herons have already clinched a spot in the upcoming MLS Cup playoffs but the team still has much to play for in its final three regular season matches vs. the Crew, Toronto FC and New England Revolution.
Gerardo 'Tata' Martino's team is on track to lift the Supporters' Shield should it come away with three points against Columbus. If Miami stumbles against Wilfred Nancy's side, it could still seal the deal against Toronto or New England.
The Herons are also chasing the MLS single-season points record set by the Revolution in 2021 that stands at 73 points. Miami is on 65 points and must win its final three matches of the campaign if it wishes to reach 74 points and set a new record.
Martino opted for his preferred 4-3-3 setup in the home draw vs. Charlotte as Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez all started and played the full 90 minutes. Martino could look to shift to a 3-4-3 like he's done multiple times this season away from home–most recently in the draw at NYCFC.
It wouldn't be a huge surprise to see Martino rotate the frontline and bring Messi and Suárez on later into the match regardless of the score. This would allow Leo Campana and Robert Taylor to get minutes to stay sharp while resting Suárez and Messi to start.
Tomás Avilés is unavailable for selection due to yellow card accumulation with Suárez, Redondo, Fray and Alba all one yellow card away from a one-match suspension. David Martínez and Leo Afonso still remain out injured and are expected to return to the mix by mid-October.
Inter Miami Predicted Lineup vs. Columbus Crew (3-4-3)
GK: Drake Callender–Callender must be on the top of his game against the talented Crew attack that boasts the likes of Diego Rossi and Cucho Hernández.
CB: Ian Fray–The right-back turned center-back returns to the lineup to play on the right-hand side of the back three due to Avilés' suspension.
CB: Sergio Busquets–Busquets continues his run of matches as a center-back due to the shortage of players at the position.
CB: Serhiy Kryvtsov–The veteran defender could make his first start since the 2–2 draw against Atlanta and faces a tough task in limiting the Crew's wing-backs.
RWB: Marcelo Weigandt–Weigandt looks to build off his performance against Charlotte in which he grabbed his third assist of the season.
CM: Yannick Bright–Martino might be tempted to give Benjamin Cremaschi in midfield but Bright hasn't really done anything to lose his place in the team.
CM: Federico Redondo–Redondo helps keep things in check in the midfield, sweeping up loose balls to kickstart counter attacks.
LWB: Jordi Alba–The 35-year-old starts in a more advanced position that plays to his strengths.
RW: Julian Gressel–Martino could look to rest Messi and give Gressel the nod at right-wing. His delivery from wide areas could give the Herons a slight advantage early on in the match.
ST: Luis Suárez–Miami's No. 9 hasn't scored in three matches and will be eager to find the back of the net again to stay alive in the Golden Boot race.
READ THE LATEST INTER MIAMI NEWS, PREVIEWS, PREDICTIONS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Inter Miami Predicted Lineup vs. Columbus Crew: MLS.
