Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup defense continues as the Herons take on Canadian outfit Toronto FC at Chase Stadium.

The south Florida side booked their place in the Round of 32 with a win over Liga MX side Puebla despite falling to Mexican giants Tigres 2-1 at NRG Stadium. As Tigres already took down Puebla like Miami, both teams had already secured passage to the knockout stage prior to their meeting in Houston, Texas.

Toronto, on the other hand, managed a 0-0 (5-4 on penalties) victory over fellow MLS side New York Red Bulls before claiming all three points in a 2-1 triumph Pachuca. The Reds finished the group stage with five points atop the East Group 6 standings, while Miami finished in second behind Tigres in the East Group 3 table.

Here’s 90min‘s guide to the Herons vs the Reds.

Last meeting: Inter Miami 3-1 Toronto FC (17 July 2024) – MLS

Current form (all competitions)

Superstar Lionel Messi is still nursing an ankle injury but the 37-year-old is expected to return to the fold by the middle of August as Miami will hope to have him back in time to repeat as Leagues Cup champions.

Inter Miami predicted lineup vs Columbus Crew ( 4-3-3 ): Callender; Weigandt, Aviles, Martinez, Alba; Roja, Busquets, Redondo; Gressel, Suarez, Taylor.

Toronto will be without midfielder Alonso Coello as he’s dealing with a thigh injury, while Brandon Servania and Tyrese Spicer are also recovering from respective knee and back injuries.

Toronto FC predicted lineup vs Inter Miami ( 3-4-2-1 ): Johnson; Gomis, Long, O’Neill; Bernardeschi, Longstaff, Flores, Laryea; Osorio, Insigne; Owusu.

There’s no denying the quality that Toronto have in the final third with the likes of Federico Bernardeschi, Jonathan Osorio and Lorenzo Insigne, but that attacking trio will be put to the test against the Herons on their home turf.

Miami just about edge out Toronto in overall quality, and even though their defense isn’t the greatest, it’s still better than Toronto’s — giving them a clear advantage in this one.

Prediction: Inter Miami 2-0 Toronto FC