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For yet another week, Inter Miami will be without Lionel Messi. While the international break has come to an end, which sees some of their players return, their talisman is still sidelined due to a hamstring injury. Absent since leaving their Concacaf Champions Cup match with Nashville SC in the 50th minute on March 13, the goal is for Messi to return ahead of facing Monterrey on Wednesday, but the more time that he's sidelined, the more concerning his injury situation becomes.

Miami has been a roller coaster team without Messi, defeating D.C. United by two goals before then falling in the rain in a 4-0 loss to New York Red Bulls last weekend. In the Messi era, the Herons now have a 4-3-6 record when he doesn't start, only scoring 16 goals while conceding 26 during those 13 games. That's not good enough to make playoffs and certainly isn't good enough to get past Monterrey if Messi isn't ready midweek.

Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:

How to watch and odds

  • Date: Saturday, March 30 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: Chase Stadium -- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • TV: None  | Live stream: MLS Season Pass
  • Odds: Inter Miami -105; Draw +250; New York City FC +280 

Storylines

Inter Miami: Messi won't be the only player absent as Federico Redondo has also picked up an injury. The load has fallen to Leonardo Campana and Luis Suarez without Messi, but after losing to Red Bulls, Tata Martino may opt for rotation ahead of a critical match on Wednesday. While it's important to enter the match with positive momentum, there are plenty of reasons why the Herons would be okay losing this one if it meant a win against Monterrey.

New York City FC: With only one win to begin the season, New York City are close to rock bottom in MLS as everything that they've done since winning MLS Cup in 2021 has turned out poorly for the club. As a member of City Football Group, it does make you wonder at what point results are poor enough to call for a change, and a heavy loss in Miami could be enough to do that.

Prediction

Despite rotating Miami are able to take advantage of New York's poor form to kick of the season and emerge with a victory. Pick: Inter Miami 3, New York City 1