MLS betting tips: Lionel Messi’s arrival won't save Inter Miami from defeat in New England
- George Dempsey
- 9 June 2023
Inter Miami own arguably the best player the world has ever seen. They also own the worst record in the Eastern Conference and should struggle against New England Revolution.
Fourth-place New England Revolution will welcome Inter Miami to Gillette Stadium on Matchday 18 in MLS and we've picked out a number of juicy bets.
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New England vs Inter Miami verdict
Lionel Messi's arrival has sent shockwaves throughout Major League Soccer and around the world, but it doesn't fix Initer Miami's issues overnight.
Inter will travel to New England without a coach and several key players this weekend. It's hard to imagine them getting much joy out of Bruce Arena's Revolution side.
Their 1-0 midweek win over Birmingham Legion in the US Open Cup was crucial to stop the rot and provide some respite, but it was a narrow victory over a lower-league side.
Miami fielded a full-strength team for the match to book themselves in the semi-final, with a Champions League place awaiting the winner of the competition.
New England will also be hoping to qualify for CONCACAF Champions League football in 2024. However, the side currently fourth will aim to do so by topping the league or winning the end-of-season play-offs.
The hosts are definitely well-placed to make a challenge this season but in the short term, they'll just be glad to return home and put three points on the board.
They've endured a challenging run of games, mostly on their travels, and are now winless in five. At Gillette Stadium, they've won four and drawn three of their seven MLS matches.
They've enjoyed a week off since drawing 0-0 with New York City. Days earlier, Carles Gil scored a terrific equaliser in the dying seconds to earn a 3-3 draw with Atlanta United.
They weren't wins, but they were progress. Only four teams have a higher home xG for than New England, with the play of Carles Gil allowing them to consistently create high-quality chances.
Inter have struggled to create and defend and as we've mentioned in previous weeks, most of their key passing comes from Jean Mota and Rodolfo Pizarro.
They have the joint worst expected goals tally on their travels, just 5.4. A surprise 2-1 win in Columbus remains their only away win this season with The Herons their other six road games.
Arena will not have liked his side conceding six goals in two matches and we expected a similarly sound defensive display to what we saw in New York. Back the hosts to prevail and limit Inter Miami's chances.
It's also worth noting that the Revs have scored eight goals in the first half of their seven home matches while adding seven in the second half.
