Inter Miami vs. Cavalier: CCC Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Starting on Thursday, when they go to Chase Stadium to play the tournament favourites Inter Miami in the first leg of that tie, Cavalier will try to make a significant upheaval by first appearing in the CONCACAF Champions Cup (CCC) round of 16.

While the current Jamaican Premier League winners got a bye into this round by winning the 2024 Caribbean Cup, the Herons eliminated Sporting Kansas City 4-1 on aggregate in the preliminary round.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Following a close first-leg triumph (1-0) in Kansas City, Miami left little question in that return encounter, going up 3-0 at halftime and progressing handily.

Having progressed beyond this level a year ago against Nashville SC (5-3 on aggregate), they are now in the final 16 of this competition for a second consecutive season.

Javier Mascherano won his first MLS game managing this squad over the weekend; the Herons defeated the Houston Dynamo 4-1.

Since he took over this squad in late November 2024, the Argentine manager had not won a match at home in regular time until their 3-1 triumph over SKC last month.

Losing both of their quarter-final games against Monterrey at this competition a year ago, Miami may claim their first-ever Champions Cup win over a non-MLS opponent on Thursday.

Whether in friendlies, the regular season, or this competition, the Herons have scored 20 goals in their past seven games, including a 0-0 tie after 90 minutes with Peruvian team Universitario in late January.

Following a meagre triumph last year in the 2024 CONCACAF Caribbean Cup final, the Cavalier is within two games of the Champions Cup quarter-finals for the first time.

Claiming success in their last three matches of that tournament, Rudolph Speid had a fantastic period in command of the Kingston-based team last season, leading them to win the league for the first time since 2021.

Though they presently rank fourth in the standings, 18 points off the leader's Mount Pleasant, the 2024–25 season has been a bit harder for them.

Riding a three-match winning streak away from home entering this game, the Cavaliers have won all of their games in the Jamaican Premier League by a total score of 7-2.

They lost the second leg of their last game in Cibao, from the Dominican Republic (2-1), but lifted the cup on away goals (2-2 aggregate). They failed to win their two matches played outside Jamaica at the last Caribbean Cup.

This will be the second time they encounter an MLS team in this tournament; Cavalier lost 6-0 overall to FC Cincinnati last year, including a 4-0 loss in Cincy.

Inter Miami x Cavalier Team News

While Ian Fray was red-carded in that game but is able to play on Thursday, Miami was missing Marcelo Weigandt and Fafa Picault in their weekend success over the Dynamo. Both of them sat out due to hamstring injuries.

Lionel Messi rested on Sunday as well, but he most likely will return on Thursday after scoring in every CCC game against Sporting, with Tadeo Allende and Luis Suarez netting in leg two of that competition.

On the Cavalier side, Shaquille Stein and Dwayne Atkinson were instrumental in helping them reach the Champions Cup final 16; the former finished as the leading scorer of that competition with eight goals, two more than the latter.

With 20 minutes left in their last league match against Chapelton, Jalmaro Calvin levelled their score against Stein; seven minutes before the finish, Stein scored the victory.

Our Predictions

Correct Score: Other @ 2.06 on Sky247.ng

Cavalier last played a competitive match more than a week ago, and a side with limited experience at this level might find it hard to compete against a merciless Miami club that has seldom shown compassion to its opponents this year.

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