Lionel Messi will play his first match as a starter for the inter miami when they face Atlanta United this Tuesday for the second day of South Zone 3 of the Leagues Cup 2023. The match will begin at 20:30 (Argentine time) and will not be televised live in our country. It will only be broadcast on the Apple TV+ platformthe official streaming signal of the American MLS.
Messi was a substitute last Friday on the occasion of the debut against Cruz Azul of Mexico and in injury time, he scored an agonizing goal from a free kick that gave him the 2-1 victory against Cruz Azul, for which the coach Gerardo Martino decided to include him from the start instead of the Ecuadorian Leonardo Campana. The other one that would also be from the start will be the Spanish Sergio Busquetswho had his debut at the same time as Messi against the Mexicans.
“It is very likely that both Leo (Messi) and Busi (Busquets) will play longer. Even thinking that, if they play longer, we change the dynamics and do it for the best from the beginning. Likewise, we all know that when Leo starts that amount of time after, practically, we are talking about 90 minutes.. Everything is going to depend on seeing how they feel, it’s just the second game they’re going to be in.”, Martino stated at the press conference. In this way, the alignment would be made up of Callender; Allen, Kryvtsov, Miller, and Yedlin; Taylor; Busquets or Ruíz, Arroyo, Cremaschi; Robinson and Messi.
A win against Atlanta United, where world champion Thiago Almada and ex-River Santiago Sosa play, will ensure Inter Miami’s qualification to the 16th round. final of the tournament that lasts just a month, although a draw will also leave it very well positioned since it will be defined by penalties: the winner will get two points and the loser, one.
“I am very happy to be here, it is the place that we chose with my family and we are very happy. Thank the people once again and hopefully they will continue to accompany us throughout the year because we feel them,” Messi said after debuting in the Inter Miami jersey. And he added: “A huge joy to get the first win. It’s important to start winning because of how we come in MLS, beyond the fact that it’s another championship, it’s very good for confidence to get victories.”
The Leagues Cup is made up of 15 groups of three teams each and the first two go to the next phase, so Inter Miami was very well positioned after the first victory. After this Tuesday’s game, the team from the Florida peninsula will face a twenty-five-day break, returning to play in the MLS against Charlotte FC on August 20 at 8:30 p.m.