After kicking off the season with a 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will head on the road to face a new-look Los Angeles Galaxy as former Barcelona players will clash on both sides of the pitch. Riqui Puig made the move from Barcelona to become the centerpiece of the Galaxy attack in a similar way that Messi has reinvented Inter Miami which makes this a fascinating clash.
Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil joined the Galaxy attack and will be available for the match while Inter Miami’s newest addition, Argentine talent Federico Redondo, won’t be available yet after officially signing on Friday from Argentinos Juniors. A defensive midfielder, Redondo will have a critical role alongside Sergio Busquets as no one chased the ball if they gave it away in midfield in the opener, which will be something to watch against a Galaxy side that can play with pace.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 25 | Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Dignity Health Sports Park — Carson, Calif.
- TV: None | Live stream: MLS Season Pass
- Odds: LA Galaxy +165; Draw +270; Inter Miami +140
Storylines
Los Angeles Galaxy: Pushing hard to make sure that Paintsil was eligible for the match, Greg Vanney and the Galaxy will be able to stretch the pitch to make things happen against the Miami defense. The Herons conceded 54 goals last season but the Galaxy defense was even more susceptible conceding 67 goals during the season so this could be an open match with quite a few goals in it.
Inter Miami: Messi and Luis Suarez kicked off the season assisting Robert Taylor and Diego Gomez at Chase Stadium but Julian Gressel didn’t look great in midfield making his first appearance for the Herons. Allowing only two shots on target was a good performance from the defense but Los Angeles have players who can take shots from outside the box with better accuracy than what Real Salt Lake did. Tata Martino will have decisions to make about his defense.
Prediction
With Miami going on the road and playing two matches in a week, the Galaxy will take advantage of tired legs to kick off their season with a victory in an end-to-end match. Pick: LA Galaxy 3, Inter Miami 2
