Inter Miami lineup vs. Al Ahly: Predicted XI for Club World Cup Group A opener

Inter Miami will be without at least three players for their opening Group A fixture at the FIFA Club World Cup against Al Ahly on Sunday (BST).

Head coach Javier Mascherano has confirmed that star left-back Jordi Alba, centre back Gonzalo Lujan and midfielder Yannick Bright are all sidelined with muscle injuries, while David Martinez is a minor doubt after feeling “some kind of pain” on Friday and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.

However, Oscar Ustari and Tomas Aviles have returned to training following injury setbacks last month and they are both in contention to feature in some capacity against Al Ahly.

All eyes will be on eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, who returned to team training with the Herons on Wednesday after representing Argentina during the international break; he was substituted early in a 1-1 draw with Colombia in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday.

Messi, who has scored 15 goals in 20 matches for Inter Miami this year, is expected to start as captain alongside fellow experienced frontman Luis Suarez, who has eight goals and nine assists to his name in 21 games.

Head coach Javier Mascherano is expected to stick with a 4-4-2 formation, with 36-year-old Sergio Busquets and 20-year-old Benjamin Cremaschi set to link arms in the centre of midfield as Tadeo Allende and Telasco Segovia operate out wide.

In the absence of Alba and Lujan, highly-rated left-back Noah Allen and central defender Aviles could be handed starts in the back four alongside Maximiliano Falcon and Marcelo Weigandt, protecting goalkeeper Ustari between the sticks.

Inter Miami possible starting lineup:

Ustari; Weigandt, Falcon, Aviles, Allen; Allende, Cremaschi, Busquets, Segovia; Messi, Suarez

Written by
Oliver Thomas