Inter Miami vs Porto Preview: Team News & Prediction | 2025 FIFA Club World Cup | Group Stage
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Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami began the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup with a point, but anything other than defeat against Porto would be a surprise.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV & online: UK – DAZN / US – DAZN
Inter Miami team news: Alba in training
It remains to be seen which of Inter Miami’s doubtful quartet will recover for this second match, although Spanish veteran Jordi Alba has been seen in training and could take his place at left-back.
Despite ageing legs, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are expected to start once again as Inter Miami take on European opposition for the first time in a competitive fixture.
Predicted XI (4-4-2): Ustari; Fray, Falcon, Aviles, Alba; Allende, Cremaschi, Busquets, Segovia; Messi, Suarez
Unavailable:
Questionable: Alba (Injured), Lujan (Injured), Bright (Injured), Martinez (Injured)
Porto team news: Diogo Costa still a doubt
First-choice goalkeeper Diogo Costa didn’t even make the bench against Palmeiras due to a thigh injury, and could miss out again with Claudio Ramos, who excelled in that match, poised to deputise once again.
Midfielder Gabri Veiga shook off a knock to start the last game, and it could an unchanged line-up as Porto seek a first FIFA Club World Cup victory.
Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Ramos; Fernandes, Ze Pedro, Marcano; Mario, Varela, Veiga, Moura; Vieira, Mora; Aghehowa
Unavailable:
Questionable: Costa (Injured)
Key stats
- This is the first FIFA club competition match between teams from the USA and Portugal. Their respective national teams have met twice in the FIFA World Cup, both in the group stage. The United States won 3-2 in 2002 and their encounter in 2014 finished 2-2.
- Inter Miami have lost only two of their last eight matches in all competitions (W3 D3 L2).
- Porto have lost only two of their last ten matches in all competitions (W7 D1 L2)
- Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano started both of Liverpool’s games against Porto in the group stage of the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League, drawing the first, 1-1 in Porto, and winning the return fixture, 4-1 at Anfield.
- Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi opened the scoring for Barcelona as they defeated Porto 2-0 in the 2011 UEFA Super Cup in Monaco. Head coach Javier Mascherano was also in the Barça side, while Sergio Busquets came on as a substitute.
- Porto’s Argentinian head coach Martín Anselmi was born in Rosario, also the birthplace of Messi.
- Porto’s Nehuén Pérez was in the same squad as Inter Miami’s Marcelo Weigandt for Argentina in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2019.
- Inter Miami’s Telasco Segovia faced Porto twice when he was at Portuguese club Casa Pia between September 2023 and January 2025.
- Inter Miami won 2-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against Atlanta United FC in the MLS on 16 March 2025, with goals from Lionel Messi and Fafà Picault.
Inter Miami vs Porto prediction
Although you can argue that Inter Miami were somewhat fortunate to come away from the tournament opener against Al Ahly with a point – not least because they had goalkeeper Ustari to thank for saving a penalty – the reality is that that was a fixture they realistically needed to win to give themselves a chance of progressing to the knockout stage.
Their Barcelona contingent of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and potentially Jordi Alba if fit, will know what to expect from Portuguese heavyweights Porto here, but for the MLS side’s younger players, this may be a sobering experience in terms of the step-up in quality.
Porto will already feel that they have played their toughest game of the group stage, and they will look to flex their attacking muscles in this one. They are likely to overrun the tournament hosts, and should be leading at both half-time and full-time.
Inter Miami vs Porto tip: Double result – Porto / Porto
