Nashville SC vs Inter Miami Prediction: Inter Miami to win this game

The first Major League Soccer side to welcome Messi twice since the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner joined Miami is Nashville SC, who will play home to Inter Miami on Thursday in the CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16. 

Nashville defeated Moca 7-0 on aggregate in the first round of the Concacaf Champions Cup, securing their first-ever victory. They defeated them 4-0 at home in the rematch following their 3-0 triumph in the first leg. In that game, two influential players for Nashville (Sam Surridge and Henry Mukhtar) suffered injuries and it is possible that Nashville won't be with both players in this fixture. 2022 MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar hasn't played since leaving the team's CCC opener on February 22 against Moca FC due to a hamstring injury. Sam Surridgesuffered a shoulder injury against Moca and has missed the team's last three games.

With these two infleucial players out of the game and Inter Miami having their superstars in this game. Inter Miami are the favourites in this game. 

Nashville enters this game having just emerged from a 1-1 MLS draw with Colorado Rapids. One thing that more recent Nashville games have in common is the quantity of results that have a zero in them.

If we look at their last six matches before this one, betting on "Both Teams to Score" would have been a losing proposition in five of them. We'll find out soon enough whether or not this pattern continues in the game.

It's possible that Nashville won't have its celebrity when Messi makes his first trophy-winning trip back to the United States in August, during the Leagues Cup final. 2022 MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar hasn't played since leaving the team's CCC opener on February 22 against Moca FC due to a hamstring injury. Additionally, Sam Surridge, Nashville's designated player, suffered a shoulder injury against Moca and has missed the team's last three games.

After defeating Orlando City 5-0 in their previous meeting, Inter Miami enters this match as the underdog. Inter Miami, under Gerardo Martino, has scored ten goals in their last six games. In that same time frame, the total number of goals scored against them is five.

With three straight victories, Inter Miami has gained the better of Nashville recently. Inter Miami hasn't yet played a road game in the league.

Nashville has seen three wins and three losses in their previous six games across all competitions. During that time, Nashville has scored 10 and conceded 5. The majority of those games were scored in the first half.  The past six games for Inter Miami have seen two draws and four losses. They failed to score first in any of the six games during that time, scoring five and giving up eleven. They scored just one goal in the first half, while their opponents scored four goals before halftime.

However, the unavailability of key players for Nashville makes Inter Miami the likely winner. Expect a 0-2 or 0-3 win for Nashville.