Preview: Messi reunites with former employers as Inter Miami take on PSG
Inter Miami are through to the knockout stages of the Club World Cup, where they will play Lionel Messi’s former team and recently crowned European champions, Paris Saint-Germain.
By James Nalton
Inter Miami’s unbeaten performance in the group stage was considered a win, not just for Javier Mascherano’s team, but for Major League Soccer generally.
The 2-1 defeat of Porto thanks to a Lionel Messi free kick was a historic result for the league.
Their reward is a last-16 matchup with tournament favourites PSG in Atlanta on Sunday.
Setting the scene
Though Inter Miami’s progress to this stage is impressive, it could have been even more so.
With around ten minutes of group stage play remaining, they were top of Group A, but the match against Brazilian side Palmeiras ended in an eventful draw, which eventually saw them finish second.
Inter Miami held a 2-0 lead, secured through goals scored by Tadeo Allende and Luis Suárez, but the team from São Paulo scored twice in the last 10 minutes of the game to claim the draw that would see them top the group on goal difference.
Palmeiras’ reward for finishing top was a tie in the last 16 with fellow Brazilian Serie A side Botafogo.
More importantly for them, topping the group meant avoiding PSG, so in the end, thanks to those two late Palmerias goals, it will be Inter Miami who will face the unenviable task of taking on the reigning European champions and Club World Cup favourites.
Suárez getting into a groove?
One of the highlights of that Palmeiras game was the goal scored by Suárez, which was his first of the tournament.
Messi had already grabbed some headlines with his free-kick against Porto, but his teammate from Uruguay had been fairly quiet.
Despite his lack of mobility, Suárez is still able to provide a burst of quality and movement, and this was on show for his goal against Palmeiras.
Messi was also heavily involved in the buildup to that goal, before Suárez carried it through the Palmeiras defence, rolling back the years and finishing powerfully with his left foot.
These two star players will need to be at their best, and harking back to their peak in Europe, if Inter Miami are to have a chance against PSG.
PSG pace and precision
The passing of Vitinha and the dribbling of Désiré Doué is the double threat that make PSG so dangerous.
These are the kinds of players who have replaced Miami’s aging stars in Europe today, and Portuguese midfielder Vitinha has a genuine shout for being the best footballer in the world at this moment in time.
Everything PSG do goes through him, and when combined with the supporting cast of some more of the best players in Europe, it made PSG unstoppable in the UEFA Champions League this past season.
They have not been unstoppable in the Club World Cup, though, with Brazilian side Botafogo recording a monumental upset to defeat them 1-0 in the group stage.
Inter Miami will take some hope from this, but it’s a tough ask against a team full of talented individuals and, unusually for the modern version of PSG, one where those individuals have combined to produce the most impressive team.
Prediction
The current best players in the world will defeat the former best players in the world in a high-scoring game.
(Cover Image from IMAGO)
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