In less than 24 hours, the Herons take on 11th-seeded Orlando City. Orlando City has had a mixed season to date and has struggled with consistency. Under normal circumstances, this match ought to not be much of a challenge for Inter Miami. However, the current circumstances are far from ideal, as Inter Miami could have a potential injury crisis. The Barcelona trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Busquets did not train recently! Is it an injury or a rest? The Miami faithful are rightly concerned.

In the recent training video, Inter Miami was missing significant firepower. Besides Lionel Messi and his former Barcelona teammates, Diego Gomez is also absent. To be fair, the Paraguayan’s absence was expected. In last month’s game against Nashville SC, Gomez was stretchered off in tears. The injury was later confirmed to be a high-grade ankle sprain and the recovery period is estimated to be 6 weeks.

Likewise, promising midfielder Federico Redondo is not a part of the group training but is training individually. The Inter Miami star suffered a knee injury in late March and is expected to be out for nearly 2 months!

There is still optimism regarding the availability of Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets for tomorrow. The veteran duo played the game against Montreal, where they did not suffer any knocks or sustain any injuries. Considering they are in the 35+ age category, Inter Miami management might be giving them extra rest. However, the case of captain Lionel Messi is different and certainly much more concerning.

Lionel Messi: Knee problems troubling the Inter Miami star

The match against CF Montreal was not Lionel Messi’s best. The playmaker struggled to assert his usual influence on the game and saw his goal-contribution streak come to an end. But, there could be a reason for Messi’s uncharacteristic, sub-par performance. In the first half of the match, the Inter Miami captain was on the receiving end of a rash tackle from opposition defender George Campbell. The soccer icon was in discomfort and had to be attended to by the medical staff. He was able to continue playing but it seems the problems didn’t there.

Assistant coach Javier Morales confirmed that the playmaker had to ice his knee after the match. Furthermore, while others were participating in the team training, Messi was undergoing a recovery session. This season, the 8-time Ballon d’Or winner has suffered his fair share of injuries. Hence, even if Messi is available, Inter Miami might rest him for tomorrow to try and not aggravate the injury.