After the scoreless draw in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami must win if they want to advance, but Nashville won’t make it easy for them.
BJ Callaghan‘s team also wants to advance to the next round and, according to the coach himself, they are willing to give it their all to secure the victory.
A Strong Warning from Nashville for Messi
Javier Mascherano’s team boasts one of the greatest players of all time: Lionel Messi. This could be an advantage for Inter Miami, but it’s also a real headache for their opponents, who must figure out how to stop him before he takes a shot on goal and proves lethal.
At a press conference ahead of the CONCACAF Champions Cup second leg, the Nashville coach made it clear that his team will have to play with great physical intensity to stop the Argentine captain:
“They’re a good team, a combative team in a good way, right? We have to win the duels. We have to be strong on the ball. We have to be willing to put our bodies on the line a bit. But I really like that we were able to change the pace. So we were able to build the play more slowly. But then, when we were able to pass the ball or break through the lines, the game picked up speed, and that’s what I thought was really good,” Callaghan said about Messi and Inter Miami at a press conference (via DSports).
Although Lionel didn’t have a standout performance in the first leg, he’s known to be a decisive player since he not only scores goals (he has 3 in the four games he’s played this season) but also knows when to pass the ball to his teammates and deliver wonderful assists. That’s why the coach made it clear that pressing and changing the pace of the game to prevent him from finding spaces that could negatively impact the team will be key to avoiding a goal from #10 that could knock them out of the competition.
Mascherano also knows that Leo’s presence on the field can change the outcome, which is why he decided not to play the Argentine against Charlotte in the MLS, where the team drew 0-0 again.
However, the plan to neutralize Messi could leave the 38-year-old star without the personal opportunity to reach 900 goals and fall just 65 goals short of Cristiano Ronaldo’s 965, as they are currently the two all-time leading scorers in soccer history.
On the other hand, Inter Miami must beat Nashville SC on Wednesday, March 18, at 6:00 p.m. ET if they want to avoid extra time or elimination, since having failed to score at Geodis Park, any draw (except a 0-0) will give the victory to Nashville as they would be playing as the away team.
The rematch promises an intense showdown between two teams that know each other well and will fight tooth and nail to advance to the next round of the tournament.
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