Inter Miami CF vs. Nashville SC Prediction, Preview, and Odds - 8/8/21

Inter Miami CF plays host to Nashville SC on Sunday night from DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in a crucial Eastern Conference tilt. As two of the newest clubs to Major League Soccer, they’ve already met once this season, in a 0-0 draw back on May 2nd. In that one, Nashville dominated the statistics at home, leading in possession 59-41, shots 10-5, and shots on goal, 3-2. It wasn’t enough though to breakthrough and Nashville will be disappointed to only have taken one point from that home meeting. Sunday will present a rematch ripe for the taking between the fourth place team in the Eastern Conference and the 14th place team, Miami. With only the top seven teams making it to the playoffs, Nashville will want to keep their foot on the pedal, while Miami essentially needs to be perfect down the stretch,

Miami Finding Form

In year two as a full-fledged MLS club, it has been rough going for Inter Miami. They sit in last place not only in the Eastern Conference, but in the league as a whole. With only 13 points across 15 games and a minus-twelve goal differential, Inter Miami has no room for error down the stretch if they have any hope at postseason action. That doesn’t mean taking just a point, they need three points consistently, which is a tough task against Nashville. THey have been playing better if late though, going unbeaten in their last three games, with two ties and a win. Their last game was potentially their most impressive of the season. Taking on second-place Orlando on the road, they were able to grab a point in a 1-1 draw and will need that same energy in the rematch with Nashville on Sunday night. Having hung on in dramatic fashion against Nashville in the first meeting of the season, Inter Miami will be ready to give a full 90-minute effort as they look to make it four straight games without a loss.

Inter Miami is facing some injury concerns heading into Sunday night though. They’ll definitely be without Ian Fray (undisclosed injury) and Joevin Jones (undisclosed injury), while Ryan Shawcross (undisclosed injury) is questionable to give it a go. Shawcross has appeared in 12 games out of the back, Jones in ten, and Fray provides depth off the bench. Without potentially three defenders, it might be a tough ask for Miami to slow down this Nashville attack. The good news is that on the attacking front, Miami comes in healthy and ready to go, which will be crucial as the team looks to keep pace from a goal-scoring side of things.

Gonzalo Higuain remains one of the most feared attackers in the league, as shown by his team-leading seven goals. Unlike many strikers in the league though, he has also been able to get it done setting up his teammates, with two assists on the year. One player to keep an eye on off the bench is Indiana Vassilev, the young midfielder who spent much of the last few years in England, with Aston Villa. Beyond him, Inter Miami FC has plenty of household names between Brek Shea, Kieran Gibbs, Victor Ulloa, and longtime Juventus mainstay, Blaise Matuidi. Inter Miami has the players to make life difficult for their opponents on a nightly basis, but have struggled to put it together over the full course of the season.

Nashville Riding Unbeaten Streak

As Inter Miami rides their own three-game unbeaten streak into Sunday’s game, Nashville has one of the best streaks in the league going in their favor right now. Nashville is unbeaten in nine games, having not lost since all the way back on June 18th on the road to the New York Red Bulls. Over those nine games, they have four wins and five ties, going 4-0-2 at home. That streak has helped to propel them up into fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings and has them four points clear of playoff safety. With 28 points in 17 games and a plus-ten goal differential, Nashville has been one of the most pleasant surprises in the league this year. Even though they’ll be going on the road for Sunday’s game, the idea of three points will be squarely on their mind, as they look to make up for dropping points in the first matchup with Miami on the season. While the playoffs look nearly like a lock, now the focus shifts to working towards home field advantage, with Nashville knowing that starts with a road win on Sunday night.

Part of Nashville’s sustained success has been their ability to remain relatively healthy throughout the year. Heading into Sunday night, that remains the case, with only Walker Zimmerman (right hamstring) out. With Zimmerman being one of the better center backs in the league and a mainstay with U.S. Soccer, it’ll be a big miss not having him in the back against a potent Miami attack. The good news is that this injury isn’t a new one and Nashville has faired perfectly fine without him in the lineup over the last few games. They still have quite a few defenders with strong experience, including Daniel Lovitz, Jack Maher, and Eric Miller, who are all more than capable of holding down the backline until Zimmerman returns.

Much like Miami, Nashville also has their full complement of offensive stars ready to go. Hany Mukhtar has been elite on the attack, scoring seven goals in 16 games, while also adding a team-high four assists. Then there are more household names, like C.J. Sapong (five goals) and Randall Leal (three goals). One of the keys though is the midfield, backed by box-to-box midfielder Dax McCarthy. Nashville has the ability to play to their opponent, which is one issue that has led to countless draws on the season, but they also know they have the ability to take three points every time they step on the field.

Pick: Nashville +165

Inter Miami has been playing much better soccer of late and while they might have the more well-known names, their ability to get everyone to mesh has been a struggle. When compared to Nashville, who are on a nine-game unbeaten streak, it’s difficult to see them dropping any points, let alone all three points, in the rematch from May 2nd. Nashville has the depth on the attacking front and defensive front, while Miami will be without three defenders, two of which are consistent starters in the league. Those losses will be too much to overcome, even at home, and Nashville’s group of talented forwards will be ready to pounce on that inexperience as they lead Nashville to a crucial road win, propelling them even further up in the Eastern Conference standings.

Pick: Under

The first meeting between these two teams on May 2nd has zero goals scored and while fans shouldn’t expect another scoreless draw on Sunday, the under is still the play. Of the last four meetings between the two teams, two have been a scoreless draw, one had one goal, and the fourth had three goals. Neither team necessarily lights up the scoreboard and with both having strong midfielders, getting seamless attacks going in transition will be tough. Nashville is known for low-scoring draws over their unbeaten streak and while they should be expected to score and grab the win on Sunday, it’ll be by the slimmest of margins, with maybe only a goal being the difference.

Author Profile
Roberto Arguello

Roberto is a college basketball and NBA sports betting analyst. Prior to joining our team at Winners & Whiners he broadcasted for PGA TOUR LIVE and was the voice of Stanford Football on KZSU 90.1 FM. His sports betting articles have been featured on Sporting News, The Action Network, and BetQL. Roberto enjoys long romantic walks through the fairways and fullback handoffs.