The feature matchup on Wednesday in Major League Soccer will see the Supporters' Shield leaders, Inter Miami, face the reigning MLS Cup champions, the Columbus Crew, at Chase Stadium.
An injury-time strike on Saturday gave the Herons a 2-1 triumph over the Philadelphia Union, while Columbus defeated New York City FC 3-2.
Match preview
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Coming from behind has become a weekly routine for the Herons throughout this domestic campaign, and they did it again on Saturday.
Seven of the 11 league victories claimed by Inter Miami this season have occurred when they had conceded the opening goal, accounting for over half of their points in the league this year (21 of 38).
Their victory versus the Union was the sixth away triumph for them domestically during the 2024 campaign, a new single-season club record.
Should they triumph on Wednesday, it would mark their sixth MLS home victory this year, equalling their number of wins from the previous domestic campaign at Chase Stadium.
While three of their four MLS clean sheets this season have occurred at Chase Stadium, Tata Martino's men have regressed a little defensively of late, conceding three goals in consecutive league matches played in Fort Lauderdale.
In all of their previous home matches versus Columbus, the Herons have never lost, winning two of those three meetings all-time.
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The MLS Cup champions have been renowned for their resilience throughout the campaign, and they bounced back with a spirited effort on Friday.
That victory followed a disappointing defeat versus Pachuca in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final (3-0), and it was their fourth consecutive victory in this competition.
On four occasions in MLS this season, Wilfried Nancy's men have come back to earn a point despite being behind at the interval, though last Friday was the first time they triumphed in that scenario domestically in 2024.
With four victories in MLS this year, the Crew have equalled their total from 2023, while another win on Wednesday would mark their fifth successive victory away from home in this competition, equalling their longest such run from 2015.
Only three points currently separate Columbus, who are sixth in the Eastern Conference, from the New York Red Bulls in third, while the Crew have four games in hand on Inter Miami and are currently trailing the Herons by 11 points in the table.
They have just one point from their previous three meetings with Miami in this competition, conceding a 90th-minute equaliser in their last visit to Chase Stadium last year (2-2 draw).
Team News
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Miami's MLS joint-top goalscorers, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, are on international duty for Argentina and Uruguay, respectively, as the Copa America begins this week, while Matias Rojas will represent Paraguay at that tournament.
Federico Redondo missed their weekend fixture because of adductor discomfort, Diego Gomez sat out due to an ankle sprain, Robbie Robinson was unavailable through injury, while Nicolas Freire and Facundo Farias were dealing with ACL problems.
Miami will be without Tomas Aviles and David Ruiz on Wednesday, with both players receiving a pair of cautions in their weekend triumph over the Union.
Second-half goals courtesy of Julian Gressel and Leo Afonso helped the Herons claim a narrow victory on Saturday, the first and second, respectively, for them domestically this season.
Columbus could again be without Evan Bush because of an arm injury, while Aidan Morris has agreed to be transferred to Middlesbrough, though the club has not confirmed when the midfielder will officially depart.
Jacen Russell-Rowe was named to the Canadian squad for the Copa America, while Nicholas Hagen should return after being on international duty with Guatemala.
Christian Ramirez, Mohamed Farsi and Cucho Hernandez scored in the second half for Columbus on Friday to give them a come-from-behind victory.
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
Callender; Weigandt, Sailor, Fray, Alba; Bright, Busquets, Cremaschi; Gressel, Campana, Taylor
Columbus Crew possible starting lineup:
Schulte; Moreira, Camacho, Amundsen; Farsi, Zawadzki, Nagbe, Matan; Ramirez, Rossi; Hernandez
We say: Inter Miami 1-2 Columbus Crew
Miami have shown they can win without their star attackers, but they will be severely short at the back on Wednesday, which could spell trouble against one of the most dynamic attacks in the league.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
