After escaping a sloppy 90 minutes with all three points against Real Salt Lake in Wednesday's season opener, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami hit the road for the first time in the 2024 MLS campaign as they visit the LA Galaxy on Sunday.
The match is a homecoming for Inter Miami owner David Beckham, leading his new club to his old stomping grounds for the first time. Beckham spent five years as a Galaxy player at Dignity Health Sports Park, single-handedly changing the trajectory of MLS in the process.
All eyes now will be on Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino as he is tasked with keeping aging veterans like Messi and Luis Suarez fully fit across the long and grueling season, and rest could come at any time, especially in a match like this with a cross-country trip on short rest.
The LA Galaxy, meanwhile, are on the heels of a busy offseason in which significant changes were made. Chicharito and Tyler Boyd were shipped away, with new attacking arrivals Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec represent just a few of the many alterations made to the squad.
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Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: Draw (+285)
- Score prediction: LA Galaxy 2-2 Inter Miami
There's reason to be worried about both clubs in this match, and so splitting the difference is appropriate at plus value.
For Inter Miami, their less-than-convincing performance in the season opener was troubling from a number of reasons, from the defensive errors to the sloppy possession to the numerous goal scoring chances not taken. Other than Lionel Messi and Diego Gomez, there isn't really a single player on Inter Miami who can say they played well across that 90 minutes. Add in a long road trip and short rest so soon after the grueling preseason tour, and it will be extremely difficult for them to fully recover and be at their best.
From a Galaxy perspective, after finishing the 2023 season on a five-match winless run, there is a lot different about this club to begin the new campaign, and often such significant changes to a squad can take time to mesh. Add in the fact that both major signings may not even be available for this game given their arrival came only days prior, and this Galaxy side is a very unfinished product.
It's difficult to trust either club in this game from a moneyline perspective, and the initial odds very much reflected that uncertainty, with both sides sporting identical moneyline value early on. Since opening, the odds have shifted in favor of Inter Miami as kickoff draws closer.
| DraftKings (USA) |
|
| LA Galaxy win | +170 |
| Draw | +285 |
| Inter Miami win | +125 |
| Both teams to score Y/N |
-260 / +200 |
| Over / Under 3.5 goals |
+100 / -135 |
| Inter Miami -0.5 goals |
+130 |
| LA Galaxy +0.5 goals |
-150 |
Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy match facts
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024
- Kickoff time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
- Location: Dignity Health Sports Park (Carson, CA)
- Last meeting: Inter Miami 2-3 LA Galaxy (Apr. 18, 2021 | MLS)
Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy best bet
- Pick: Inter Miami over 1.5 goals
- Odds: -140 (DraftKings)
Inter Miami missed a zillion chances in the first half of their opener against Real Salt Lake, and even in the second half as they lost control, they still found multiple opportunities to pepper Zach MacMath's net. Despite all the missed chances, the Herons still ended up with a pair of goals and almost surely would believe they should have had more.
While the travel and short rest could stunt their energy some, Inter Miami have plenty going for them here. They are facing an already leaky LA Galaxy back line missing its best defender in Jalen Neal, and the Galaxy are also amidst a goalkeeping change, with incumbent starter Jonathan Bond departing and no clear frontrunner to start amongst the two contenders remaining.
There should be ample opportunities for Inter Miami to score, even if they can't keep a lid on their own net at the other end. Boosting this total to over 2.5 goals at +275 is incredibly enticing, as that's the extreme added value in comparison to the risk, but with Luis Suarez's fitness and performance in question, this safe play feels like the right move.
Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy flier bet
- Pick: Lionel Messi to score 2+ goals
- Odds: +500 (FanDuel)
While the rest of his team fell apart around him on Wednesday, Lionel Messi was his usual brilliant self. Supported by bright attacking performances by Diego Gomez and Robert Taylor, Messi repeatedly meandered through traffic like a hot knife through butter, with little resistance.
A long season may eventually sap Messi of his ability to dazzle on a regular basis, but at the start of the season, it's hard not to expect that on a game-by-game basis. Messi didn't score in the opener against RSL, but he came so incredibly close on a few occasions, including a pair of set-piece opportunities where he was only just denied on the line.
It feels like the right time for Messi to open his season's account in style, and having scored his only league goal of 2023 on the road in New York, it's not like a long flight will dampen his attacking threat.
Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy live stream, TV channel
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
- TV channel: None
- Streaming: MLS Season Pass (Apple TV)
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