Already behind the eight ball, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami hope to spring what would be a famous upset over a European side as they meet Porto in Atlanta on Thursday evening.
The Herons traded blows with Egyptian side Al Ahly in their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup opener on the weekend, but ultimately finished in a scoreless draw that left both clubs disappointed.
Knowing that result means they now must upset either Porto or Brazilian side Flamengo if they wish to advance to the knockout stage, Inter Miami are now in a difficult spot.
The Sporting News runs through the latest team news and injury updates for both sides as the match draws nearer.
MORE: Full rosters for all 32 teams at the 2025 Club World Cup
Inter Miami vs. Porto predicted lineups, team news
While Inter Miami have built their team around Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, the rest of the attack is extremely thin in supporting cast. MLS veteran Fafa Picault is back with the Herons after playing for Haiti in their two World Cup qualifiers earlier this month, departing before the Gold Cup to instead play in the Club World Cup.
Starting goalkeeper Drake Callender has been dealing with a hernia for months and is unlikely to participate in this competition at all after having surgery. Backup Oscar Ustari recovered from a precautionary exit from a late May MLS game and will continue in goal after starring in the opener against Al Ahly.
Versatile midfielder David Ruiz is back in training after a hamstring injury, but Jordi Alba picked up an injury late last month and did not play a role in the opener. Almost certainly out are Yannick Bright and Gonzalo Lujan, who were not involved in training due to hamstring complaints.
Inter Miami starting lineup (4-4-2, right to left): 19. Ustari (GK) — 57. Weigandt, 32. Allen, 37. Falcon, 17. Fray — 21. Allende, 30. Cremaschi, 5. Busquets, 8. Segovia — 10. Messi, 9. Suarez.
Injured: Ruiz (hamstring, doubt), Alba (hamstring), Bright (hamstring), Lujan (hamstring), Callender (hernia).
Suspended: None
On a yellow card: Redondo, Aviles, Busquets, Suarez.
Inter Miami full roster
Goalkeepers: Drake Callender, Oscar Ustari, Rocco Rios Novo, William Yarbrough.
Defenders: Jordi Alba, Noah Allen, Tomas Aviles, Israel Boatwright, Max Falcon, Ian Fray, Tyler Hall, Gonzalo Lujan, David Martinez, Marcelo Weigandt.
Midfielders: Sergio Busquets, Yannick Bright, Benjamin Cremaschi, Santiago Morales, Federico Redondo, Baltasar Rodriguez, David Ruiz.
Forwards: Leo Afonso, Tadeo Allande, Lionel Messi, Allen Obando, Fabrice Picault, Luis Suarez.
MORE: The entire 2025 Club World Cup match schedule & results | Inter Miami fixture schedule
Porto are missing just two players due to injury, but one of them is their starting goalkeeper Diogo Costa who suffered an adductor injury prior to their opening match. It’s unclear how long the Portugal national team starter will be out, but his participation at the competition is in doubt.
The other individual sidelined is Serbian midfielder Marko Grujic who missed most of last season with a heel injury and has yet to recover. He was not included on Porto’s roster for the tournament.
Porto starting lineup (3-4-3, right to left): 14. Ramos (GK) — 52. Fernandes, 97. Pedro, 5. Marcano — 23. Mario, 22. Varela, 17. Veiga, 74. Moura — 10. Vieira, 9. Samu, 86. Mora.
Injured: Costa (adductor, doubt), Grujic (heel).
Suspended: None
On a yellow card: Fernandes, Perez.
Porto full roster
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, Diogo Fernandes, Samuel Portugal, Claudio Ramos
Defenders: Gabriel Bras, Martin Fernandes, Ivan Marcano, Joao Mario, Francisco Moura, Otavio, Nehuen Perez, Zaidu Sanusi, Ze Pedro
Midfielders: Domingos Andrade, Stephen Eustaquio, Andre Franco, Gil Martins, Andre Oliveira, Tomas Perez, Vasco Sousa, Joao Teixeira, Alan Varela, Gabri Veiga, Fabio Vieira
Forwards: Angel Alarcon, Goncalo Borges, Brayan Caicedo, William Gomes, Deniz Gul, Rodrigo Mora, Danny Namaso, Pepe, Samu, Leonardo Vonic
Inter Miami vs. Porto score prediction
Inter Miami will be disappointed not to have scored in their opener, because the chances of them progressing now are slim. The Herons will be quite overmatched here, especially given their very thin defensive line.
Porto were somewhat lucky to emerge with their own scoreless draw against Palmeiras, but they are significantly better than their MLS opponents and should have no problems getting past this match, even if Messi conjures up something special.
Predicted score: Inter Miami 1-3 Porto
How to watch Inter Miami vs. Porto: Live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
| Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Thu, Jun. 19 | 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT | TNT, truTV, TUDN, UniMas | DAZN, Sling, Fubo USA, TUDN app, Univision NOW |
| Canada | Thu, Jun. 19 | 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT | — | DAZN |
| UK | Thu, Jun. 19 | 8 a.m. BST | Channel 5 | DAZN |
| Australia | Fri, Jun. 20 | 7 a.m. AEST | — | DAZN, Kayo Sports, Foxtel Now |
| India | Fri, Jun. 20 | 12:30 a.m. IST | — | DAZN, tabii |
