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Inter Miami will look to secure the top spot of the 2024 Leagues Cup Group N when facing Liga MX club Tigres UANL on Saturday night at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Though both Miami and Tigres have qualified to the next round of the tournament due to their early victories over Puebla, seeding for the next round remains at stake.
Inter Miami head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino confirmed the team will continue to be without captain Lionel Messi, as he remains sidelined with the right ankle injury suffered while on international duty with Argentina in the 2024 Copa América final.
"The boot has come off, he's now working at the gym but hasn't made it out onto the field yet [for training.]"
The Liga MX side continue to expect a difficult match, as captain Guido Pizarro labeled Inter Miami a team with players of "hierarchy."
Lionel Messi is no longer in a protective walking boot, but has yet to return to training on the field. Megan Briggs/Getty Images
"We know Miami is an opponent with players of great hierarchy and experience. We have the expectation to give a good performance, and a perfect game by getting the details right," he told ESPN.
"It's a unique game against Inter Miami due to the stars that they have and the nuances they have, but we have to concentrate on doing a better job to get through the first stage of the tournament."
Still, he said Tigres will be a protagonist in Houston.
"Tigres has gotten accustomed to being a protagonist in every tournament we compete in."
Liga MX teams enter Leagues Cup after playing just four matches of the 2024 Apertura tournament, which Martino insists are favorable conditions in comparison to last year.
Mexican teams have struggled to compete against MLS competitions in this edition of Leagues Cup, with sides like Puebla and Queretaro facing early elimination ahead of the final group stage match.
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"The conditions with which the Mexican teams arrive are better than last year's edition," Martino said. "There are many teams that, in this case, Tigres that do not have to travel, played the other day in Houston.
"Last year I think there were even fewer dates in the local league, so four games is more than enough to see a team that is in rhythm, especially considering that the regular phase in Mexico has 17 dates, four dates is almost 25% of the league," he said.
"So there is not much time to get in shape because it is not a 38-date tournament. For the Mexican teams, it is good that it is like this so that we all have the same possibilities."
Following the match against Tigres, the reigning Leagues Cup champions will host either Toronto FC or Pachuca on Thursday night at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the round-of-32 clash.
Source: espn.co.uk