Sporting Kansas City (2 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss) welcomes Inter Miami (3-3-2) to Arrowhead Stadium Saturday. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET (Apple TV). Below, we preview FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Sporting Kansas City vs. Inter Miami CF odds, and make our best expert MLS picks and predictions.
With the arrival of F Lionel Messi to the MLS, jam-packed stadiums are now the norm wherever he goes, meaning Sporting KC moved this game from Children’s Mercy Park, their normal home, to Arrowhead Stadium.
Messi was out for an extended period with a hamstring injury earlier in the season but has since returned and should be in the starting XI. Messi and F Luis Suarez have combined for 9 of the team’s 16 goals. Inter has drawn 2 straight Games, and it is 2-2-0 in the 4 Games Messi has seen time in. Inter is 1-1-1 on the road.
Sporting KC is 1-2-1 at home this season. They have tallied 12 goals for (1.71 per game) and 10 against (1.43 per game) this season. Sporting is led by F William Agada, who has netted 3 goals in 6 games. Sporting drew the Portland Timbers 3-3 in their last home game. They are 2-1-1 in their last 4.
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Sporting Kansas City vs. Inter Miami CF odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:50 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Sporting KC +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Inter Miami +200 (bet $100 to win $200) | Draw +250
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -144 | U: +118)
Sporting Kansas City vs. Inter Miami CF picks and predictions
Prediction
Inter Miami 3, Sporting Kansas City 2
Moneyline (ML)
SPRINKLE INTER MIAMI (+200).
Inter Miami has played well in MLS competition when Messi has taken the field. They have outscored opponents 10-3 in those 4 games and have had more expected goals than their opponent in 5 of 8 games this season.
Sporting struggled last season and was just 12-8-14 on the season. They didn’t do much to improve and have been terrible defensively, which will create issues against an extremely technical Inter side. Sporting is just 0-1-1 in their last 2 home Games. They have had fewer expected goals in 4 of their 7 Games this season.
Expect Inter to come out on top here with Messi back near 100%. Back INTER MIAMI (+200).
Over/Under (O/U)
BET OVER 2.5 (-144).
Sporting KC has allowed a goal in 4 straight games and has allowed 8 goals in those 4 games. They have given up at least 3 goals in 2 of their last 3. At the same time, Sporting has scored 10 goals in their last 4 and has netted at least 3 in 2 straight games. Simply put, their defense has failed them while their offense has kept them in the game.
Inter has a dynamic attack, which should speed the game up. They should be able to find the holes in the Sporting defense. Inter has gone Over this total in 5 of their last 6, having scored 13 goals in their last 6 games.
Expect a high-scoring game given the season-long trends of both sides, and at this value, take OVER 2.5 (-144).
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