Nashville SC vs Inter Miami - Champions Cup preview: TV channel, team news, lineups and prediction | OneFootball

Nashville SC play host to Inter Miami and Lionel Messi in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 on Thursday night at GEODIS Park.

The two MLS Eastern Conference sides will renew their rivalry in the biggest North American club competition, bringing Messi back to the venue where he played a vital role in Miami lifting their first-ever piece of silverware.

Gerardo 'Tata' Martino's Miami side have improved with each passing match in the young 2024 MLS campaign, opening up with an emphatic 5-0 thumping of Orlando City as well as a win over Real Salt Lake and a draw with five-time MLS Cup winners LA Galaxy. Messi and Suarez both bagged braces last time out against Orlando, and they'll be eager to carry that form over to the Champions Cup.

On the other side of the tie, it's been a pretty bland start to the season for Gary Smith's squad. Nashville, who fell in penalty kicks to Miami in the Leagues Cup final last summer, began their MLS season with two draws against New York Red Bulls and Colorado Rapids. The Coyotes advanced to the round of 16 after their 7-0 aggregate triumph over Dominican Republic side Moca FC, while Miami enjoyed a first round bye after lifting the 2023 Leagues Cup title.

Here's 90min's preview of the 2023 Leagues Cup final rematch.

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How to watch Nashville SC vs Inter Miami on TV and live stream

Nashville SC team news

Mukhtar remains sidelined for Nashville / Lyndsay Radnedge/ISI Photos/GettyImages

The Coyotes' talisman Hany Mukhtar remains out with a hip injury and is expected to return to the mix later this month. Randall Leal also has a similar timetable with the same injury, while Sam Surridge's shoulder injury keeps him out of action until late April.

In the meantime, Smith will rely on the likes of Tyler Boyd and Jacob Shaffelburg to get things rolling up front without his preferred starting strikers.

Nashville SC predicted lineup vs Inter Miami (3-5-2): Willis; MacNaughton, Zimmerman, Maher; Moore, Davis, Godoy, Muyl, Shaffelburg; Boyd, Bunbury.

The Herons have no new players in the treatment room following their dominant victory over Orlando, but former Spain international full-back Jordi Alba was reportedly absent from training on Tuesday. His potential absence would be a huge blow for Martino as he's already limited with defensive options after DeAndre Yedlin's transfer to FC Cincinnati.

Should Alba miss out, Martino will likely call on Noah Allen to take up shop at left-back.

The likes of Luis Suarez, Diego Gomez and Julian Gressel were all substituted well before the full-time whistle and should all feature from the jump on Thursday night.

Inter Miami predicted lineup vs Nashville SC (4-3-3): Callender; Gressel, Aviles, Freire, Alba; Ruiz, Busquets, Gomez; Messi, Suarez, Taylor.

Nashville SC vs Inter Miami score prediction

If you thought Smith's side were defensive in the past, just buckle in and prepare for Nashville to sit back even more without their best forwards in Surridge and Mukhtar while trying to keep Messi and Suarez at bay.

Expect the visiting Herons to dominate possession and snuff out any counter-attacks that Nashville may attempt. While Smith's low block has gotten results in Nashville's young history, it won't be enough to hold off Miami's firepower over two legs.