Inter Miami vs Monterrey prediction, odds, betting tips and best bets for CONCACAF Champions Cup first leg | Sporting News

A battered and bruised Inter Miami side faces its toughest test of the season to date as they host a very strong Monterrey squad for the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday.

Lionel Messi is expected to be available for this match after spending a few weeks sidelined with a hamstring injury, but his absence and imminent return is just the tip of the iceberg for Inter Miami boss Tata Martino. The club lost new midfield signing Federico Redondo to a lengthy knee injury, and defender Serhiy Kryvtsov has also gone down with a hamstring problem.

With the patchwork squad pieced together with the remaining available players, they must now defend Chase Stadium against one of Liga MX’s strongest and most complete teams. Monterrey sit second in the domestic table 13 matches into the Clausura, level on points with leaders Club America but behind by just one on goal differential.

The Monterrey squad boasts a host of Mexican international talent, both present and past, and they added a number of key offseason acquisitions from abroad as well. U.S. international Brandon Vazquez has been excellent in his early career at the club, while Jorge Rodriguez has been solid in midfield after joining from Estudiantes.

This will be a monumental test for Inter Miami, and one they are ill-equipped to face at this juncture given their many fitness and availability concerns.

USA: Click here to see the latest odds for Inter Miami vs Monterrey and bet Champions Cup matches

Inter Miami vs Monterrey prediction, odds

• Moneyline lean: Monterrey (+260)
• Score prediction: Inter Miami 1-2 Monterrey

Sure, Mexican clubs have struggled to produce consistent results away from home, specifically on U.S. soil, but make no mistake, Monterrey are the better club in this matchup, in large part thanks to the bevy of injuries Inter Miami are dealing with.

It’s possible that Monterrey play this defensive in order to return home with the matchup intact, but they will know that snatching a goal or two here could mean a world of difference in the overall aggregate scoreline. Away goals are still the tiebreaker in CONCACAF Champions Cup action, so while Mexican clubs often look to grind out road results in continental action, they’ll absolutely be hoping to score against a defensively porous Miami squad.

Inter Miami were initially -110 favorites, with Monterrey as +260 underdogs, but after Lionel Messi was ruled out of the match around two hours prior, a massive swing resulted, with the two teams nearly even on the moneyline.

Inter Miami vs Monterrey match facts

• Date: Wednesday, 
• Kickoff time: 8 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT
• Location: Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
• Referee: Walter Enrique Lopez Ramos (HON)
• Last meeting: None (First meeting)

Inter Miami vs Monterrey best bet

• Pick: Monterrey over 1.5 total goals
• Odds: +145 (BetMGM)

Mexican clubs often approach away fixtures in continental play with caution, but Monterrey will know that Inter Miami can be picked apart. The MLS side is already struggling defensively, and without key players at the back and in midfield, they are even more vulnerable than usual.

Monterrey have multi-goal performances in domestic league play against Santos Laguna, Juarez, and Atlas in the current half-season, and going back to the Apertura, they secured similar results against Pachuca, Mazatlan, and Chivas as well. Monterrey are known for their defending capabilities, but have plenty of firepower as well. Efficiency is the name of the game for Monterrey — in the 1-0 victory on the road at FC Cincinnati, they put five of their seven shots on target, not needing many chances to test the opposing goalkeeper.

Inter Miami conceded just one to struggling basement-dwellers NYCFC over the weekend, but the visitors missed a whopping four “big chances” and could have had a lot more from their overall production. Knowing that away goals are still the established tiebreaker in CONCACAF Champions Cup play, Monterrey will not be shy about attacking this weakened Inter Miami back line, and they have the talent to cash in.

Inter Miami vs Monterrey prop bet

• Pick: Brandon Vazquez anytime goal scorer
• Odds: +220 (FanDuel)

As previously mentioned, the hallmark of the Monterrey attack is efficiency, and Brandon Vazquez is the embodiment of that trait. While the 25-year-old has seen his overall volume of attacking chances drop, he’s not let that effect his deadly presence in front of goal.

Last season with FC Cincinnati, Vazquez collected 2.3 shots per game, putting 1.1 of those on target. While the shots per game total has plummeted to 1.4 in Liga MX play since joining Monterrey, his efforts on target are still 0.9 per match, hardly a drop at all from his previous Cincinnati campaign.

He has been a substitute in each of their last two league games behind fellow new arrival German Berterame, but Vazquez started against his old club in the previous CONCACAF Champions Cup round and will be in line to get solid minutes in this game as well. Should he start, this number represents solid value for a player who doesn’t need many opportunities to score, and presents a significant aerial threat which Inter Miami are vulnerable to without imposing Ukrainian defender Serhiy Kryvtsov.

Inter Miami vs Monterrey live stream, TV channel

Fox Sports own the broadcast rights in the United States for the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and have placed this match on TV channel FS1. Additionally, a Spanish-language broadcast can be found on TUDN. Both channels are available to stream on Fubo USA, with a FREE trial available for new users.

OneSoccer has the broadcast rights to the CONCACAF Champions Cup in Canada, which is available to stream on Fubo Canada.

In territories where CONCACAF has not sold broadcast rights for the competition to a particular partner, CCC games can be accessed on the federation’s official streaming platform CONCACAF GO. This includes in the UK, as well as other nations around the world.