Inter Miami odds for Lionel Messi’s debut vs. Cruz Azul: Miami is favoured for Leagues Cup match

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami debut is likely to take place this Friday against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.

The pregame narrative: The Herons have been basement dwellers in MLS this season, but the arrival of Messi could change everything. Their opponent has struggled to perform in Mexico’s Liga MX, with an 0-0-3 start to the season.

Inter Miami odds vs. Cruz Azul

Soccer odds as of 12:23 p.m. on 07/19/2023.

The MLS season may have already slipped away from Miami. The team is dead last in the Eastern Conference with just 18 points in 22 games played (5-3-14). But with Messi on board, the Leagues Cup is a trophy that could be within reach.

This will be the first match in the group stage for Inter Miami and Cruz Azul, who are paired with Atlanta United in Group South 3. The top two teams will make it out of the group.

Azul has stumbled out of the gate in Liga MX losing all three of their games by a combined score of 6-1.

It’s hard to tell what Messi’s immediate impact will be — after all, the current squad hasn’t performed that well in his absence. Miami will surely be a better team in the near future, though, with players like Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba joining the team soon.

But it’s hard to undersell how good the Argentine is even at the age of 37.

He’s just over seven months removed from leading Argentina to a World Cup and he had 21 goals in 41 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1.

Behind Messi, Inter is a +102 favourite to win this game at home.