Inter Miami meet Nashville in Messi’s Champions Cup debut

MIAMI, Florida – Argentina superstar Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will make their Concacaf Champions Cup debut when they meet fellow Major League Soccer (MLS) side Nashville SC in the first leg of the 2024 Champions Cup Round of 16 on Thursday night at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee.

The series will be a rematch of the two teams’ dramatic Leagues Cup Final last summer when Inter Miami edged Nashville SC 10-9 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw.

Inter Miami qualified directly for the Round of 16 by virtue of winning Leagues Cup, while Nashville SC eliminated Moca FC of the Dominican Republic 7-0 on aggregate in Round One.

Overall, this will be their 11^th meeting all-time, with Nashville leading with a record of 4W-4D-2L.

2022 FIFA World Cup winner Messi and Inter Miami arrive into the series in excellent form after posting a 5-0 victory over the weekend against Orlando City SC in which both Messi and star striker Luis Suarez bagged a brace. Messi now has 13 goals and six assists in 17 matches with Inter Miami.

Messi is not the only big star making his Champions Cup debut. Suarez, MF Sergio Busquets and DF Jordi Alba, all former UEFA Champions League winners with FC Barcelona, will be playing in their first ever Champions Cup match on Thursday.

Inter Miami do have some Champions Cup experience on their roster in the form of Julian Gressel, who will be playing in his third Champions Cup and has two goals in six career matches.

Nashville SC proved last summer in the Leagues Cup Final that they can go toe-to-toe with Inter Miami and they will be relying on the likes of Forster Ajago, Jacob Shaffelburg and Anibal Godoy to get the job done.

Ajago had a brace in the 4-0 second leg win versus Moca, while Shaffelburg and Godoy each had an assist, with Shaffelburg adding a goal of his own.

No doubt an exciting night full of stars awaits to cap off the first leg matches in the Round of 16.