Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Major League Soccer clash between New York City FC and Inter Miami, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Inter Miami can move up to third in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer on Wednesday with a victory over New York City FC at Citi Field in Queens.
Both sides were victorious over the weekend, with the Pigeons currently fourth in the table, thanks to a 2-0 win over Charlotte FC, keeping them a point above Miami, who held onto a 3-2 triumph at home against DC United.
Match preview
Since the beginning of September, it has been full speed ahead for New York City, who have made a big charge up the table in recent weeks.
Pascal Jansen's side entered this month fighting for an automatic place in the first round of the playoffs but have gotten themselves into the conversation for home field advantage in round one, just a point below Charlotte for third.
A victory in midweek would not only temporarily move them up to third place, but it would also give them 12 home wins, equaling the most for them in a single MLS regular season which was previously achieved in 2018.
The Boys in Blue are a perfect 3-0 at Citi Field domestically this year, failing to concede a single goal in either of those outings, two of which were one-goal victories.
NYCFC have points in 11 of their previous 12 regular-season affairs in September, winning all three of those encounters this year by a combined margin of 8-3.
They have never lost a competitive home contest to Miami, winning the last match against them at Citi Field 3-0 in the opening round of the 2022 playoffs.
Retaining the Supporters' Shield crown might still be a possibility for the Herons, who are currently on a two-match winning run, scoring three goals in both of those affairs.
With six regular season matches remaining, Javier Mascherano's men are eight points behind the Philadelphia Union for first overall, with three games in hand.
Their next two league fixtures will be away from home, where this team have struggled of late, claiming only one point in those last three encounters, collecting just one win in their previous four MLS matches as the visitors.
Defensively, they have looked vulnerable on the road, conceding three or more goals in six league contests away from Chase Stadium.
If they can win their remaining six games before the post-season, the Herons will reach the 70-point mark for a second successive campaign, after setting the MLS points record in 2024 (74).
Inter Miami are unbeaten against New York-based clubs this season, defeating the New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium 5-1 in July.
New York City FC Major League Soccer form:
W
W
L
W
W
W
Inter Miami Major League Soccer form:
L
W
D
L
W
W
Inter Miami form (all competitions):
D
W
L
L
W
W
Team News
Leg injuries kept Keaton Parks, Malachi Jones and Nico Cavallo out of the New York City FC lineup last weekend at home to Charlotte.
Alonso Martinez netted a brace on that occasion, with both goals coming from the penalty spot, while Matt Freese stopped the two shots that he faced for a clean sheet.
As for Miami, Fabrice Picault missed their last match with a quad strain, David Ruiz and Allen Obando sat out with hamstring issues, while Telasco Segovia will have to sit out of Wednesday's clash with a yellow card suspension.
It was reported on Sunday that midfielder Sergio Busquets will retire at the end of the season when the World Cup champion's two-and-a-half-year contract expires.
Luis Suarez is eligible to return from suspension, and without him, Lionel Messi has continued to thrive, netting a brace and assisting on Tadeo Allende's goal last weekend, becoming the fastest player in MLS history to reach 70 goal contributions, while he now leads the Golden Boot race with 22 goals.
New York City FC possible starting lineup:
Freese; Ilenic, Martins, Gustavo, O'Toole; Haak, Perea; N. Fernandez, Moralez, Wolf; Martinez
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
Ustari; Fray, Lujan, Falcon, Alba; De Paul, Busquets, Bright; Messi, Suarez, Allende
We say: New York City FC 2-2 Inter Miami
These teams boast plenty of creativity and attacking punch, so we anticipate it will be a spirited affair, as each still have plenty to play for.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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