Inter Miami vs. Porto: Projected lineups for Messi’s second match in the Club World Cup

Inter Miami’s next opponent is FC Porto, led by Martín Anselmi, who left Cruz Azul under a cloud of controversy earlier this year. Like Miami, Porto started their Club World Cup with a scoreless draw, this one against Palmeiras.

After their debut in the Club World Cup against Al Ahly, Inter Miami is determined to avoid repeating their poor first-half performance and instead build on the much-improved second half, which featured a brilliant display from Lionel Messi—just missing a goal to complete the show.

“Nerves and anxiety got the best of us in the first half,” said head coach Javier Mascherano. “We lost balls we shouldn’t have lost, giving them transitions—and they’re very fast. But later we created chances to win the match and left a really good impression overall. We could have won it.”

Up next for Inter Miami is FC Porto, coached by Martín Anselmi, who controversially left Cruz Azul earlier this year. The Portuguese club had a similar start to their tournament campaign, drawing 0–0 against Palmeiras in their opening match—just like Inter Miami did against Al Ahly.

Jordi Alba set to return

The best news for Mascherano came after the Al Ahly game: Jordi Alba is back in full training. The veteran left-back suffered a muscle injury on May 28 against CF Montréal but is expected to return to action 22 days later against Porto. His connection with Messi on the left side could be vital for Miami’s attack.

Yellow card watch: Four key players at risk

Inter Miami saw four players booked against Al Ahly: Tomás Avilés, Federico Redondo, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suárez. If any of them receive a second yellow card against Porto, they will miss the following match versus Palmeiras.

What does the tournament rule say about yellow cards?
Any player or team official who receives a yellow card in two different matches will be suspended for the next game. All yellow cards will be wiped clean after the quarterfinals. However, if a second yellow is received during the quarterfinals, the player will still be suspended for the semifinal.

Probable lineups: Inter Miami vs FC Porto

Inter Miami: Óscar Ustari; Ian Fray, Maxi Falcón, Tomás Avilés, Noah Allen; Tadeo Allende, Benjamin Cremaschi, Sergio Busquets, Telasco Segovia; Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez.
FC Porto: Diogo Costa; João Mário, Zé Pedro, Iván Marcano; Alan Varela, Francisco Conceição, Nico González, Otávio; Romário Baró, Pepe, Samu Omorodion.