Leagues Cup Final: Inter Miami vs Nashville Odds
Messi Goes For First Trophy With Inter Miami
First Full Leagues Cup Final
The first two editions of the Leagues Cup only featured eight teams. All 47 teams from MLS and Liga MX participated this time, and just two remain. In an all-MLS final, Inter Miami takes on Nashville SC as Lionel Messi has lived up to the hype since joining Inter Miami. He’s scored nine goals in six matches and has been Inter Miami’s key player in their run to the final. For Saturday’s big match, we’ll take a closer look at Messi and the Inter Miami vs Nashville odds.
Inter Miami vs Nashville SC
Day/Time:
Location: Geodis Park, Nashville, USA
Head-to-Head:
Nashville SC holds a 4-2-1 record vs. Inter Miami all-time ahead of the Leagues Cup 2023 final. Back in May, before Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets joined Inter Miami, Nashville picked up a 2-1 MLS win over Inter Miami. Fafa Picault and Lukas MacNaughton got on the scoresheet for Nashville. Notably, both teams have scored in each of the last three matchups.
The Messi Show Continues
Inter Miami entered Leagues Cup play in last place in the MLS standings. Lionel Messi made his Inter Miami debut in the first Leagues Cup match vs Cruz Azul and quickly delivered an iconic moment. The legendary Argentine scored a last-minute free kick to give Miami a 2-1 win and hasn’t looked back since. He and his former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have transformed Inter Miami in a matter of weeks.
Now, they’re just one win away from winning silverware in their first month with the club. In the semifinal, vs. 2022 MLS Cup finalists Philadelphia Union, Inter Miami dominated. Josef Martinez opened up the scoring within three minutes and Messi doubled the lead on a well-hit long-range strike just over 15 minutes later. Jordi Alba added a third before halftime and Inter Miami cruised to a 4-1 win.
The Inter Miami vs Nashville odds price Inter Miami as favorites, despite playing on the road. With Messi playing a starring role, it’s certainly easy to see why. The World Cup Golden Ball winner leads the Leagues Cup, with nine goals. He’s scored in every match he’s played in and Inter Miami hasn’t scored fewer than two goals in a match with him on the team.
Mukhtar is one to Watch for Nashville
Nashville SC has a star player of their own, although he’s not as well-known as Lionel Messi. German attacking midfielder Hany Mukhtar has been a revelation since he joined Nashville from Danish club Brondby in 2020. He won the MLS Golden Boot and MVP award last season as he scored 23 goals and provided 11 assists. Mukhtar currently leads MLS, with 13 goals in 24 games this season. In the Leagues Cup, he’s been more of a provider, though, as he leads the tournament with five assists.
In the group stage, Nashville went just 1-1 and it took penalties for them to advance to both the round of 16 and quarterfinals. After Minnesota’s DJ Taylor picked up a red card in the quarters, five different Nashville players got on the scoresheet. In the semifinals, the Leagues Cup odds priced Nashville as home underdogs vs Liga MX side Monterrey.
Still, they managed to grab a 2-0 win with Sam Surridge and Fafa Picault getting on the scoresheet. Former England youth international Surridge has scored in all three of his appearances for Nashville since joining from Nottingham Forest. Incredibly, they’ve all been substitute appearances, and perhaps Gary Smith will give his compatriot his first start for the final.
Match Analysis & Odds
This will be Nashville’s sixth match of the Leagues Cup at home. They lost to Toluca at home in the group stage but are unbeaten in the last four. Meanwhile, Inter Miami hasn’t lost a single match in the Leagues Cup and has averaged an astounding 3.5 goals per game in the competition.
Here, the Inter Miami vs Nashville odds price Inter as -120 ATS and moneyline favorites and they’ve scored eight goals in two road matches in the Leagues Cup. Betting on Lionel Messi to score in each match has been an incredibly popular venture thus far. Messi as an anytime goalscorer comes in at -180 odds for Saturday’s match.
Meanwhile, Nashville +0.5 shows -110 odds and the hosts are +285 moneyline underdogs. Both teams are certainly capable of scoring goals, as Nashville has scored at least twice in five of their six Leagues Cup matches. Here, over three goals display -115 odds. In the event of a draw, the match will go directly into penalties. Bettors can take a draw at +295 odds for what should be an exciting match.
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