90min
·9 April 2024
90min
·9 April 2024
Monterrey and Inter Miami square off in the second leg of the Champions Cup quarter-finals at Estadio BBVA with a trip to the final four at stake.
Miami boss Gerardo 'Tata' Martino included the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba in his squad for the 2-2 draw against Colorado Rapids, with all four players coming off the bench in the second half of the contest.
As the former Atlanta United boss brought the ex-Barcelona figures on for the second half, there's a good chance they'll all feature from the start vs Rayados. Messi appears to have full recovered from the hamstring injury suffered back in the middle of March, with Martino likely to continue playing the three at the back formation he's adopted on the road.
Here's how Martino could line Miami up for the decisive second leg.
Messi returns to the Miami XI / Megan Briggs/GettyImages
GK: Drake Callender - The veteran goalkeeper is likely to be tested early and often in the second leg.
CB: Tomas Aviles - Aviles should return to his preferred center-back role after playing as a defensive midfielder last time out.
CB: Nicolas Freire - Will have his hands full trying to contain the likes of Sergio Canales and Brandon Vazquez, the latter of whom cost Monterrey $7.5m.
CB: Noah Allen - The left-back turned center-back is the final piece of Martino's defensive cog.
RM: Marcelo Weigandt - A third Miami start is on the cards for the 24-year-old, who will hope to give Monterrey's defense a headache with pace and intricate link-up play.
CM: Julian Gressel - Gressel's excellent set-piece delivery could go a long way in helping the Herons overcome their 2-1 deficit.
CM: Sergio Busquets - The veteran midfielder features from the jump after receiving a breather in the first half vs Colorado.
CM: Diego Gomez - Will be eager to put in a more impactful performance after a timid showing against the Rapids.
LM: Jordi Alba - Expect to see the former Spain international send in plenty of cut-back passes for Messi and Suarez to get on the end of.
ST: Lionel Messi - The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner returns to the starting lineup for the first time in close to a month.
ST: Luis Suarez - With his eyes set on Champions Cup glory, Suarez will aim to continue his goalscoring ways in the second leg to propel Miami to victory.
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