Leagues Cup: Inter Miami vs. Orlando City Preview, Odds, Predictions, Picks

Inter Miami and Orlando City clash in the first round of the Leagues Cup playoffs. The Florida Derby will mark the start of the eliminations in the competition, which ended its group stage this Monday night. Inter was confident in its group, finishing first with two wins. David Beckham’s unit has Lionel Messi, and with the Argentinian onboard, it looks completely different than before. Orlando also topped its assembly, and enters this encounter with high hopes. 

Preview

Inter Miami (-125) saw Messi making his debut in the first game of the League Cup. The World Cup winner scored a fantastic free-kick deep in the stoppage time, bringing a 2-1 victory for his unit over Cruz Azul. It was a blasting start of a new era at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. 

Everything went much smoother for Gerardo Martino’s boys in the next meeting, when they defeated Atlanta United 4-0. Messi started the game, and the team had an initiative right from the kick-off. Also, Sergio Busquets commanded the midfield, and the result couldn’t be different. 

Inter played efficient football even before Messi’s arrival, only then, the franchise from Miami often founded itself on the losing end. The defense was terrible, while the attack gave some signs of life.

Orlando City (+350) has superstars in the past, like Nani, but now, they’ve decided not to bring high-caliber names. For the moment, they are doing more or less solid, and the results back up our claim. 

Regarding the Leagues Cup, the Lions have done their job so far perfectly. The first round saw them playing 1-1 against Houston Dynamo, but they won two points following a penalty shootout. After that, Orlando met Santos Laguna, whom they defeated 2-3, which was enough to secure first place in the group. 

Lions, too, have been playing efficient football these days, with the past three games all with goals on both sides. Five of the recent six, ended with at least three hits.

Latest News

There are some indications that Jordi Alba might be in the protocol for this event. Messi and Busquets will be in the starting lineup. Jean is questionable, while Gregore, Jean Mota and Negri are all out for the hosts.

On the other side, Gonzales and Halliday are out for the Lions. 

Head to Head Games

There was one meeting between these two units this season, in late May, when Orlando defeated Inter Miami at the DRV PNK Stadium, 1-3. Leonardo Campana delivered the only goals for the hosts while Kara, Ojeda, and Rafael Santos netted for the guests.

Predictions

With Messi and Busquets, Inter is a completely different team. They are extremely fast in offense and, more importantly, very direct and rational. That gives more space and freedom for the defenders, who now work less than before, which has certain positive side effects. Additionally, if Alba debuts, that would be even better for the Herons. Orlando is a very good bunch, yet tends to be inconsistent on the road, and when we put all this together, betting on Inter’s win is the best possible solution here.

Pick: Inter Miami -125