Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will hope to turn their putrid 2024 preseason tour around as they travel to Hong Kong for a quick turnaround against a select squad of domestic league players.
After reports that Messi felt "discomfort" in the run-up to the match, he was relegated to a late cameo with Inter Miami blasted 6-0 against Al Nassr on Thursday. Just three days later, they will continue their global circumnavigation ahead of the coming competitive campaign.
The heavy defeat follows a poor run of fixtures for Inter Miami this preseason, drawing 0-0 against a second-choice El Salvador national team to begin the schedule followed by a 1-0 defeat to FC Dallas in Texas and 4-3 loss to Al Hilal in Riyadh.
Defensive woes were a hallmark of Inter Miami's poor campaign last year, and they are beginning to rear up again in preseason, leaving Tata Martino with lots to ponder with the season drawing closer. Add in fitness concerns for its biggest star, and Inter Miami have issues to sort out on multiple fronts.
MORE: Watch every Inter Miami match across the 2024 season with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Inter Miami vs Hong Kong XI live stream, TV channel
The club friendly between Inter Miami and Hong Kong XI will be available to stream around the globe exclusively on MLS Season Pass from Apple TV.
Subscribers to the platform can access every single MLS match across the entirety of the 2024 regular season and playoffs, as well as the Leagues Cup later this year.
What time does Inter Miami vs Hong Kong XI kick off?
This friendly match kicks off at Hong Kong Stadium on Sunday, February 4 at 4 p.m. local time in southeast Asia.
Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA/Canada | Sun, Feb. 4 | 3 a.m. ET |
| USA/Canada | Sun, Feb. 4 | 12 a.m. PT |
| UK | Sun, Feb. 4 | 8 a.m. GMT |
| Australia | Sun, Feb. 4 | 7 p.m. AEDT |
| India | Sun, Feb. 4 | 1:30 p.m. IST |
Inter Miami vs Hong Kong XI lineups & team news
With this match only three days after the disastrous performance against Al Nassr, it's possible that Tata Martino rotates his side heavily for this game.
It's unclear whether Lionel Messi will be fit to start or even appear, considering he only saw six minutes at the end of the defeat to Al Nassr, with reports that he felt "discomfort" after the Al Hilal friendly a week ago.
Young midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi will miss two or three months after requiring surgery for a sports hernia, a big loss for the side. Full-back Ian Fray is still recovering from his torn ACL in the latter half of last season, as are Franco Negri and Corentin Jean.
Inter Miami projected starting lineup (3-5-2): Callender (GK) — Aviles, Kryvtsov, Allen — Gressel, Gregore, Busquets, D. Ruiz, Alba — Suarez, Campana.
The Hong Kong XI will feature a selection of players from across clubs in the domestic league in Hong Kong.
The 25-man squad, led by Hong Kong national team head coach Jorn Anderson, features 12 players from Hong Kong plus another 13 players who hail from outside countries. Nations like Brazil, England, Scotland, Spain, Ghana, and others are all represented on the roster.
Sitting one-two in the Hong Kong Premier League table, Lee Man and Kitchee boast a combined 12 players in the squad.
Hong Kong XI squad:
GK: Pong Cheuk Hei (Resources Capital), Tse Ka Wing (Tai Po), Yapp Hung Fai (Eastern).
DEF: Daniel Almazan (Eastern), Jose Angel (Lee Man), Calum Hall (Eastern), Li Ngai Hoi (Lee Man), Oliver Gerbig (Kitchee), Timothy Chow (HKFC).
MID: Chan Siu Kwan (Tai Po), Cleiton (Kitchee), Marcos Gondra (Eastern), Jakob Jantscher (Kitchee), Mikael (Kitchee), Ngan Cheuk Pan (Sham Shui Po), Mitchell Paulissen (Lee Man), Charlie Scott (Kitchee).
FWD: Henri Anier (Lee Man), Mahama Awal (Southern), Everton Camargo (Lee Man), Nassam Irbahim (Rangers), Lam Hok Hei (HK U-23), Jordan Lam (North District), Ruslan Mingazow (Kitchee), Gil (Lee Man).
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