Preview: DC United vs. Inter Miami - prediction, team news, lineups

DC United and Inter Miami square off in Major League Soccer action on Sunday, as both sides battle to climb closer to the playoff spots after disappointing starts to the domestic season.

This is a repeat of each team's last fixture before the international break, as Sunday's hosts came out as 3-0 winners.

Match preview

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Upon the return from the international break, DC United find themselves in 10th spot in the Eastern Conference, having picked up eight points from their opening eight games.

Three of those points came in their last outing before the break, as they thrashed Saturday's opponents 3-0 in Miami.

Ola Kamara netted the opening goal in the 15th minute and Paul Arriola quickly doubled the lead before Kamara scored his second in the final 20 minutes to seal a statement victory.

That was just a third win of the season for Hernan Losada's side, having lost five of their opening eight matches.

Having missed out on the playoffs last year with a disappointing 13th-placed finish in the Eastern Conference, the Black-and-Red will be desperate to qualify this year, with a win potentially seeing them climb into the top seven depending on other results.

They take on another side who will hope to quickly move up into the playoff spots after an underwhelming start to the campaign.

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That recent loss was Inter Miami's fourth of the season, having also won two and drawn two.

They suffered another loss before that, as a Luka Stojanovic goal in the 69th minute fired Chicago Fire to a 1-0 win over Phil Neville's side.

Despite boasting an impressive squad of players, the Miami outfit have struggled at both ends of the pitch this season, with only two sides in the Eastern Conference netting fewer than the eight goals that they have scored in eight MLS games.

Meanwhile, only basement side FC Cincinnati have conceded more than the 13 goals that Neville's men have shipped.

They will now look to wipe the slate clean after a three-week break, and will aim to kickstart their season with a win on Sunday after a poor start.

Team News

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DC United will come into this game without winger Edison Flores and midfielder Drew Skundrich, after the pair recently sustained injuries.

Key midfielder Junior Moreno will also not feature, as he is currently with the Venezuela squad for the Copa America.

However, they were boosted by several returns before the international break, as Paul Arriola, Donovan Pines and Kevin Paredes all featured after spells on the sidelines.

Ola Kamara will lead the line with renewed confidence, having netted a brace last time out to fire his side to a 3-0 win.

The Inter Miami line will be led by experienced Argentinian forward Gonzalo Higuain, who has hit four goals and an assist in seven MLS games this season.

Their other key man is midfielder Blaise Matuidi, who brings plenty of class having played for Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as winning a World Cup with France in 2018.

He should shield the defensive pairing of Ryan Shawcross and 21-year-old Venezuelan centre-back Christian Makoun.

DC United possible starting lineup:
Hamid; Najar, Hines-Ike, Pines; Gressel, Canouse, Felipe, Paredes; Arriola, Kamara, Perez

Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Figal, Shawcross, Makoun, Jones; Gregore, Matuidi; Morgan, Ulloa, Carranza; Higuain

We say: DC United 1-1 Inter Miami

With DC United missing several key players for Sunday's game, we definitely see this being a much more even affair than the previous meeting between the two sides.

Given both teams are equally desperate to rise up the table having had disappointing starts to the season, we expect them to finish level and share the points in Florida.