Inter Miami FC vs Real Salt Lake odds & preview: Lionel Messi set for MLS season opener
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Lionel Messi is back in the American soccer spotlight, and this time the world’s greatest player will take the pitch for the Major League Soccer season opener. Inter Miami FC plays host to Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, and the odds show Messi and company are strong favorites to win.
Inter Miami FC vs. Real Salt Lake odds for season opener
Messi arrived with Miami in the middle of the 2023-24 season and hit the ground sprinting. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner featured in all seven of Miami’s Leagues Cup fixtures and had 10 goals and four assists as Miami cruised to the championship in the inaugural event.
The MLS regular season was a different story. Miami was in last place in the MLS Eastern Conference when Messi arrived and never picked up enough ground to qualify for the playoffs. It didn’t help that Messi and left back Jordi Alba suffered injuries.
While the attack had plenty of firepower, the defense faltered in large part because it was too easy for opposing teams to get past Miami’s attackers. Miami has addressed that weakness in the offseason, by adding Nicolás Freire from Liga MX side Pumas UNAM on a season-long loan.
Miami also signed free agent midfielder Julian Gressel, and if he’s willing to do some defensive work, it would go a long way to making Miami a stronger side.
Real Salt Lake long has been a quality club and has made the Western Conference playoffs each of the last three seasons with coach Pablo Mastroeni in charge. RSL consistently performs well and over the course of a long season you have to like their chances to compete.
At the start of this season, however, RSL has plenty of work to do. Designated Players Jefferson Savarino and Damir Kreilach are gone, and the club didn’t replace them. In addition to that, RSL demoted its general manager and did not renew the contracts of three assistant coaches.
Does that sound like a team ready to head into Miami and slow down the star-studded attack led by the world’s greatest player?
Lionel Messi odds & goal scoring props
Messi appeared in 13 matches last season between the Leagues Cup and the MLS regular season, and he notched 11 goals and six assists. If you break down his stats further, he averaged one goal for every 85 minutes played, which means if he plays the full 90 against Real Salt Lake, there is a better chance that he scores a goal.
The odds for Messi to score any time at the top online sportsbooks look like they’re worth a shot. You can find them as low as -125 at DraftKings Sportsbook and Bet365 Sportsbook. They’re as high as -165 at BetMGM Sportsbook.
If you want to play it safe before placing your wager, wait for Miami to release its starting lineup about 60-90 minutes before kickoff. Messi missed a preseason friendly a few weeks ago due to adductor inflammation.
He did play 60 minutes in the final preseason friendly on Feb. 15, and Miami coach Tata Martino said this week that Messi is fully fit for Wednesday’s season-opener against Real Salt Lake. But if Messi doesn’t start, the odds currently available don’t make as much sense.
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