Inter Miami head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino won’t be looking to make too many changes to his starting lineup come Sunday night against LA Galaxy.
The Herons won comfortably in the end in the opening fixture of the 2024 campaign vs RSL, but it wasn’t as straightforward as the scoreline suggested. Martino’s frontline looked dangerous for the most park, but there was a huge drop-off in the second half in the midfield.
Sergio Busquets, who’s still recovering from a minor ankle injury, was careless with the ball and was dispossessed a few times that led to chances for Salt Lake. Miami will look to cut out the sloppy passes and careless giveaways in order to win their second game of the season on the west coast, with Busquets anchoring the midfield once again.
Here’s Inter Miami’s predicted lineup vs the Gs.
GK: Drake Callender – He had an iffy game against RSL but still remains Miami’s best shot-stopper.
RB: DeAndre Yedlin – The USMNT full-back put in a strong defensive showing against Salt Lake and will need to replicate that showing against LA’s wide players.
CB: Tomas Aviles – After a super showing at the back last time out, he keeps his place in the XI.
CB: Serhiy Kryvstov – Martino will lean on the Ukraine international’s experience in a star-studded matchup with the Galaxy.
LB: Jordi Alba – It was a quiet yet impressive performance from him against Salt Lake, as he managed to find himself in great attacking positions all along the left-hand side.
CM: David Ruiz – Ruiz gets his first start of the season alongside Busquets and Gressel.
CM: Sergio Busquets – Despite his lingering ankle problem and shaky second half performance, Miami can’t function without him in the heart of the midfield.
CM: Julian Gressel – He showed off his passing range in spurts in his first MLS appearance for Miami but was also sloppy in possession at times.
RW: Lionel Messi – No questions here, as the Argentinian legend looks to add to his assist he picked up on Wednesday night.
ST: Luis Suarez – He was kept quiet for large parts of the game vs RSL but will look to score his first MLS goal Sunday evening.
LW: Diego Gomez – The 20-year-old takes on a much more advanced role to allow Martino to make changes in the midfield.
