Inter Miami will look to secure first place in Group N of the 2024 Leagues Cup when they take on Liga MX club Tigres UANL on Saturday night at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Although both Miami and Tigres have qualified for the next round of the tournament due to their early victories over Puebla, qualification for the next round is still up for grabs.
Inter Miami head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino has confirmed that the team will continue without captain Lionel Messi as he remains sidelined with the right ankle injury he sustained while on international duty with Argentina in the 2024 Copa America final.
“He has taken off his boot, he is now working in the gym but has not yet gone out on the field. [for training.]”
The Liga MX side still expects a tough match, as captain Guido Pizarro described Inter Miami as a team with “hierarchical” players.
“We know that Miami is a rival with players of great hierarchy and experience. We expect to play a good game and a perfect game by getting the details right,” he told ESPN.
“It's a unique match against Inter Miami because of the stars they have and the nuances they have, but we have to concentrate on doing a better job to get through the first phase of the tournament.”
Still, he said Tigres will be a protagonist in Houston.
“Tigres has become accustomed to being the protagonist in every tournament in which we compete.”
Liga MX teams enter the Leagues Cup after playing just four matches of the 2024 Apertura tournament, which Martino insists are favorable conditions compared to last year.
Mexican teams have struggled to compete against MLS competition in this edition of the Leagues Cup, with teams such as Puebla and Querétaro facing early elimination before the final match of the group stage.
“The conditions in which the Mexican teams arrive are better than last year,” said Martino. “There are many teams, in this case Tigres, that do not have to travel, who played the other day in Houston.
“Last year I think there were even fewer dates in the local league, so four games are more than enough to see a team that is in rhythm, especially considering that the regular phase in Mexico has 17 dates, four dates is almost 25% of the league,” he commented.
“There is not much time to get in shape because it is not a 38-match tournament. For the Mexican teams, it is good that it is like this so that we all have the same opportunities.”
Following the match against Tigres, the reigning Leagues Cup champions will host either Toronto FC or Pachuca on Thursday night at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the round of 32 clash.
