Inter Miami can match their longest unbeaten run in club history on Sunday when they host Atlanta United at DRV PNK Stadium in Major League Soccer action.
The Herons held Nashville to a 0-0 draw last weekend, while Atlanta are looking to snap a three-game winless streak in all competitions after being knocked out by Philadelphia in the CONCACAF Champions League, 4-1 on aggregate.
Match preview
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Heading into the regular season Miami president David Beckham and his team had high expectations.
They went out and purchased several high profile players like former Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain and 2018 World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi, among others.
In the early stages of this season, they have been more clinical in front of goal, but Phil Neville still needs his side to tighten up defensively.
Last year they conceded a goal in all but three of their matches, and despite bringing in a new manager who knows a lot about defending, that trend has continued as Miami have given up four goals in their first three matches.
The 2021 season has been anything but boring so far for the side from Florida, who conceded twice in the final 20 minutes, losing to the LA Galaxy.
They followed that up with a 2-1 win over the Union as the Higuain brothers rescued three points for the team.
In 2020 consistency was an issue for The Five Stripes, losing three in a row in the regular season on three separate occasions.
Despite being eliminated from the Champions League earlier this week, some positive signs suggest Gabriel Heinze and his team could be turning the corner.
They earned a 0-0 draw away from home in their opening fixture, which they rarely did in 2020, losing six times on the road and picking up only one clean sheet.
Last week, they lost another tight one-goal game, something which this team experienced plenty of times a season ago.
In 2020 Atlanta lost nine games by a single goal, a 27-point swing that could have helped them reach the post-season for a fourth successive campaign.
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Team News
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Ian Fray is the only injury worry for Phil Neville heading into this fixture, with the centre-back set to miss his fourth match this season with a cruciate ligament injury.
Gonzalo Higuain is off to a hot start in his MLS career with goals in his last two games.
Goalkeeper John McCarthy picked up just his second clean sheet for Inter Miami last Sunday against Nashville, and the top pick in the MLS SuperDraft last year, Robbie Robinson will look to score for the second time in his MLS career.
For Atlanta Mo Adams is out with a hernia, Alec Kann has a shoulder injury and Machop Chol is out with a lower-body injury.
Brooks Lennon, with a head injury, is questionable, while Lisandro Lopez could miss out again for personal reasons.
Former MLS Golden Boot winner Josef Martinez has only appeared as a substitute for The Five Stripes so far, after missing most of 2020 with a torn ACL.
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Jones, Gonzalez, Shawcross, Leerdam; Matuidi, Gregore; Shea, Ulloa, F. Higuain; G. Higuain
Atlanta United possible starting lineup:
Guzan; Gurr, M. Robinson, Walkes, Bello; Hyndman, Sosa, Barco; Lopez, Martinez, Moreno
We say: Inter Miami 2-0 Atlanta United
Acquiring experienced players who know what it takes to win at both club and international level appears to be paying off for the team from South Beach, who look hungry to rise to prominence in MLS.
Atlanta have not looked bad so far this season but have not shown they can win on the road or find a way to win close games.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Inter Miami win with a probability of 46.76%. A win for Atlanta United had a probability of 27.42% and a draw had a probability of 25.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Inter Miami win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.33%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.2%) and 2-0 (8.49%). The likeliest Atlanta United win was 0-1 (8.2%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.27%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.3% likelihood.
