Los Angeles FC vs Inter Miami CF Prediction & Betting Tips - Major League Soccer

Prediction published on 02/09/2023, 15:29  by Joseph King | Modified on 02/09/2023 at 15:30 in Major League Soccer Predictions

The Lionel Messi hype train makes its way to La-La Land as second-place LAFC play host to 14th-place Inter Miami. It’s truly astounding the impact that the Argentine World Cup winner has had on this Miami squad. They’ve recently been crowned champions of the Leagues Cup and are now the oddsmakers’ second favorites behind Cincinnati to lift the MLS Cup. This is even more shocking considering Miami are 14th in the Eastern Conference and are not currently occupying an MLS Playoffs spot. The books clearly think they’ll be able to erase a 10 point deficit on ninth-place Chicago with only 10 games left in the regular season. The Herons do have a handful of games in hand, meaning their current league predicament isn’t quite as bad as it may seem at first glance. Following their Leagues Cup triumph, Inter returned to MLS play with a 2-0 away win over RBNY. They were held to a 0-0 draw at home in their most recent fixture by Nashville. 

The defending champions will get their first crack at Messi when they meet at the Banc of California Stadium on Sunday night. It’s been somewhat of a slow year for LAFC who sit second in the West despite a slightly underwhelming record of 11 wins, seven draws and seven defeats. The Black and Gold are trailing Conference leaders St. Louis City by seven points but have a game in hand advantage, meaning the deficit could potentially be cut to just four points. Los Angeles fell to a disappointing 2-1 away loss to Charlotte in their last appearance, despite creating 2.26 expected goals while giving up 1.78. There is an undeniable amount of attacking talent on this side which was only improved upon with the addition of Mario Gonzalez from SC Braga. The champions have gained the majority of their points at the Banc of California Stadium as they’ve registered eight wins and three draws from 13 fixtures.