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Results may not matter much in preseason but it certainly feels better for Tata Martino and Inter Miami to enter this friendly match against Vissle Kobe off the back of a victory over Hong Kong. It has been a preseason tour to forget for the Herons with them playing five games so far, allowing 12 goals and only scoring seven while losing three matches outright. With Lionel Messi missing the last two matches, things have only spiraled during what was supposed to see Miami's stars travel the world before dominating Major League Soccer.

Even fans haven't been happy with the Herons getting booed in Hong Kong due to Messi not featuring. Stakes are high for Miami and even Hong Kong's government weighed in on Messi not featuring. Kicking off the season in only two weeks against Real Salt Lake, there isn't much more time for the Herons to string together good performances.

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

How to watch and odds

  • Date: Wednesday, Feb. 7 | Time: 5 a.m. ET
  • Location: Japan National Stadium -- Tokyo, Japan
  • TV: None  | Live stream: InterMiamiCF.com

Will Messi feature?

Speaking to media on Tuesday, Messi said that his condition has improved but that he is still unsure of if he'll play in the match. Like each match during this tour, fans will eagerly be waiting for Messi to feature. Messi went on to describe his current injury which is a concern for starting the season.

"It was very unfortunate that I was unable to play in Hong Kong," Messi said. "In the first match in Saudi Arabia, I felt discomfort in my (hip) adductor. I tried to play some minutes in the second match to see how I would feel because I had an MRI, which found I had an edema in the adductor, but not an injury, so I tried to play. Then we went to Hong Kong and had open training, so I went out because of the number of people who showed up (40,000) and because there was a clinic with children and I wanted to be there and participate. But honestly, the discomfort continued, and it was very difficult for me to play."

Messi did take part in training Tuesday but it was only a light participation which doesn't shed much light on if the Argentine will be ready for the match.

Prediction

Miami will continue scoring goals but defensively is where the struggles will continue to be apparent as they add another draw to preseason play. Pick: Inter Miami 2, Vissle Kobe 2