´He felt good´ – Mascherano hints Messi could be back in MLS action

Javier Mascherano confirmed Lionel Messi had come out of Inter Miami’s Concacaf Champions Cup match unscathed and could face Atlanta United in MLS.

The Argentine had not played in three consecutive games in all competitions but scored on his return in Jamaica to help Miami beat Cavalier on Thursday and progress to the quarter-finals.

The Herons are unbeaten in MLS this season despite having a player sent off in each of their three games so far, winning their last two against Houston Dynamo and Charlotte FC without Messi in the team.

They sit second in the Eastern Conference in the early standings, and Mascherano had a positive update on their star man.

“We knew Leo wasn’t playing for the last three or four games, obviously, we wanted him to play but had to find the right moment to send him to the pitch,” Mascherano said.

“He felt very good [against Cavalier], he scored, Jamaican people could see him, so it was a great night for everyone.”

Seguimos pic.twitter.com/HHM9Ak5HoZ

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) March 14, 2025

Atlanta, meanwhile, are winless in two matches; having won their opener against CF Montreal, they have since lost one and drawn one without scoring.

They are one of six teams on four points in the Eastern Conference, though sit bottom of that group with a negative goal difference.

They will take confidence from recent meetings with Miami though, having won their last two matches against them last season, but head coach Ronny Deila does not think the opponent means this game is more important than others.

“It doesn’t mean more,” Deila said. “It’s three points and we want to win every game that we’re in.

“Of course, it’s an exciting game with history that makes it even better.

“I see a lot of improvement from where I started and a lot of players with ability. We’ve had some good moments and tough moments, but that’s what we expected.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Atlanta United – Emmanuel Latte Lath

Atlanta have not scored in their last 185 minutes of MLS play, last hitting the back of the net in their season opener against CF Montreal.

Emmanuel Latte Lath had three chances to break the deadlock last weekend against the New York Red Bulls, worth 0.69 expected goals (xG), with two of those classed as ‘big’ chances, but he could not find the breakthrough.

Inter Miami – Lionel Messi

Messi has not recorded a goal contribution in five of his last six MLS away matches (including playoffs), including two at Atlanta United in that time.

Messi, who made a scoring return on Thursday, had been involved in at least one goal in 19 of his previous 21 away league matches dating back to the start of the 2022-23 season with Paris Saint-Germain.

There’s nothing like this showdown

— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) March 15, 2025

MATCH PREDICTION: INTER MIAMI WIN

Inter Miami have lost only four of their last 34 MLS matches dating back to late March 2024 (W22 D8, incl. playoffs). However, three of those four defeats have come against Atlanta United.

Atlanta won their final two matches against Miami in last season’s playoffs. The only two teams Messi has lost against in three straight appearances are Bayern Munich (four straight from 2015 to 2023) and Real Madrid (three straight from 2020 to 2021).

However, the Five Stripes have lost five of six home matches, including the final three straight, in all competitions from late April to early June 2024. Since then, they have lost only three of 14 home matches in all competitions (W5 D6), including winning three of the last four.

Atlanta did hold out against the Red Bulls last weekend, stopping them from having a single shot on target in their 0-0 draw. It was the ninth time they have done so in a regular-season match, with only Columbus Crew (11) and Seattle Sounders (10) doing so more often since Atlanta joined MLS in 2017.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Atlanta United – 28.6%

Draw – 24.4%

Inter Miami – 46.9%