Hurricane Messi is sweeping through MLS: Inter Miami, the team where the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner plays and which also took part in the Club World Cup – where they were eliminated in the round of 16 by PSG – has won its last five league games, with the Argentine phenomenon scoring twice in each of them, climbing to the top of the scoring charts (16 goals). Last weekend, Messi was also decisive in the head-to-head clash with Nashville, third in the Eastern Conference, who were beaten 2-1 in Florida.
This result sees the team led by former Argentina and Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano climb to fifth place in the table, with several games in hand over their direct rivals. Messi and his teammates will travel to Cincinnati in this midweek fixture, who are currently second in the East and third in the overall standings with 42 points from 22 games.
This will be another valuable test for the Herons, who are almost certain to find the back of the net in Ohio: both teams score and concede a lot, so considering Messi’s great form, a spectacular match seems to be guaranteed. Philadelphia and Nashville could take advantage of the clash between Cincinnati and Miami: the Union are back to winning ways after two consecutive defeats and should not slip up against an uninspiring Montreal side; Nashville, on the other hand, have a tougher task ahead of them as they face the Crew, who are level on points with them (41), in front of their home crowd. Columbus is coming off a stunning comeback victory against Cincinnati, but this time it will be difficult to take all three points away from a complicated away game. It is no coincidence that Nashville boasts the fourth-best home record.
Predictions for the other matches
In the Eastern Conference, Charlotte is proving it has what it takes to make the playoffs: despite not always being consistent, the North Carolina club is currently ninth in the East and ended its winless streak last weekend with a clear 2-0 victory over New York City. This is yet another useful result at home for Dean Smith’s men: a repeat performance is not out of the question against a struggling opponent like DC United, which has won only once in MLS since May.
Moving west, leaders San Diego, fresh from five wins in their last six games, are clear favorites against Toronto: the Canadians, who have just let Italian players Insigne and Bernardeschi go, are second from bottom in the East. Finally, as for games with at least one goal per side, Portland Timbers-Real Salt Lake and Atlanta United-Chicago Fire should not disappoint. A match with plenty of goals is expected between Seattle Sounders and Colorado Rapids.
MLS: possible winners
Philadelphia Union (in Philadelphia Union-Montreal)
Charlotte (in Charlotte-DC United)
Nashville or draw (in Nashville-Columbus Crew)
San Diego (in San Diego-Toronto FC)
Matches with at least three goals in total
Cincinnati-Inter Miami
Nashville-Columbus Crew
Seattle Sounders-Colorado Rapids
MLS: matches with at least one goal per team
Atlanta United-Chicago Fire
Cincinnati-Inter Miami
Portland Timbers-Real Salt Lake
Odds comparison
Charlotte’s victory is priced at 1.62 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and at 1.60 on Snai. The “Over 2.5” bet in Cincinnati-Inter Miami is priced at 1.35 on Goldbet, Lottomatica, and Snai.
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