Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United: Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

Inter Miami will host Atlanta United in the first match of their best-of-three series at Chase Stadium on Friday, kicking off the first round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.

The Five Stripes advanced to the next round following a penalty shootout victory against CF Montreal in the wild-card round; Miami won the Supporters' Shield after defeating the New England Revolution 6-2 in their last regular season match.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

The 2024 regular season was the best in Major League Soccer history. On Decision Day, Inter Miami smashed the previous record-holders to achieve a new point total.

However, we are in the thick of things, and the Herons are riding high coming into this matchup. They have won their past three matches in a row and have gone undefeated in their last nine domestic matchups.

They topped the league with 79 goals scored during the regular season. They finished with 22 victories, just two shy of the record established in 1998 by DC United and the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The Herrons will play their first home playoff game on Friday. They aim for their first postseason victory since joining MLS in 2020.

With an undefeated run in their last eight Major League Soccer matches played at Chase Stadium, Miami won eleven home matches in 2024.

Tata Martino's squad won nine occasions in the 2024 regular season despite giving up the first goal, earning 27 points overall.

Despite being heavily underdogs only one week ago, Atlanta United have beaten the odds and are hunting for a second Major League Soccer championship.

On Tuesday, Rob Valentino's squad led 2-0 at halftime in Montreal. They maintained their calm in the shootout, even though they let that advantage slip away in the second half.

They come into this matchup with a lot of momentum but now face a formidable challenge in trying to upset this powerful Miami club.

The Five Stripes have maintained an unblemished record, scoring several goals in their previous three meetings against Major League Soccer opponents.

Their latest MLS postseason victory was in 2019 when they advanced to the Eastern Conference Final after losing their last three playoff games.

Even though the Hawks only won four games away from home all season, two of them were in Florida, one of which was a 3-1 May Chase Stadium victory against Inter Miami.

Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United Team News

On the day of the decision, the Herons were without David Ruiz (right hamstring strain), David Martinez (right adductor problem), CJ dos Santos (sore hand), and Lawson Sunderland (just recovered from hamstring issue; unused replacement).

Leo Afonso could not participate due to groin pain, while Nicolas Freire and Facundo Farias were unable to play due to anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

Last Saturday, Messi scored a hat trick, Suarez scored twice, and Benjamin Cremaschi scored the other goal for Miami, bringing their team-leading goal total to 20.

Edwin Mosquera was out with a knee injury, and Quentin Westberg had a concussion as Atlanta faced Le CFM in their wild-card match.

On Tuesday, Tyler Wolff was benched for Ronald Hernandez in Atlanta United's starting lineup.

They were up 2-0 after goals from Brooks Lennon and Stian Rode Gregersen, but they advanced only to Brad Guzan's heroics in the shootout. Pearce missed from 12 yards out, and Guzan saved the day.

Inter Miami to win @ 1.44 on Sky247.ng

We do not expect the Herons to lose on Friday despite the Five Stripes' success against Miami this season. The Herons are full of veteran players who have won at every level and still possess the ability to go far.

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