Inter Miami vs. Orlando City Prediction, Preview and Odds - 6/25/21
Orlando City SC will be looking to build on one of the most impressive wins of the MLS season when it travels to Inter Miami CF on Friday night. It was all Orlando on Tuesday, as it picked up a 5-0 win over San Jose. It is currently sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference. Miami has not scored in its last three matches and is in the midst of a very disappointing campaign.
Orlando looking to inch closer to New England in standings
Orlando City has only lost one match all season, coming in a 2-1 setback against the Red Bulls on May 29. It bounced back with a 3-2 win over Toronto on Saturday and followed that up with a 5-0 thrashing over San Jose on Tuesday. Nani opened the scoring when he converted on a penalty kick seven minutes into the match and it was all Orlando the rest of the way. Benji Michel and Daryl Dike both found the back of the net twice. Nani has scored a team-high five goals and assisted on both of Dike’s goals.
Orlando has notched wins in five of its last seven games and is in second place in the Eastern Conference. It is five points behind New England at the top of the standings. Orlando’s five goals were the most it has scored since 2019. Dike returned from his time with Barnsley in the English second tier, coming on as a sub on Saturday before starting on Tuesday. Starting goalkeeper Pedro Gallese is with Peru at the Copa America, so Brandon Austin is expected to get the nod for the third straight match. Austin only had to make one save against San Jose.
Miami needs to find some offense
Inter Miami has been one of the biggest disappointments in the MLS this season. It has not scored in its last three matches: a 1-0 setback against Chicago, a 3-0 defeat to DC United and a 1-0 loss to DC United. The clubs wound up playing in the final match before the international break and then met again when the season resumed on Saturday. Miami had to deal with a pair of red cards in the loss, which left them with nine men to finish the match. DC United scored the game’s lone goal on a penalty kick in the 72nd minute.
Miami has now gone goalless in its last 275 minutes of action, which is not what David Beckham and the ownership group were hoping for in the club’s second season in the MLS. The team added Gregore, Blaise Matuidi, and Kelvin Leerdam in the offseason. Miami won seven matches last season and has not shown a ton of improvement in 2021. Manager Phil Neville did speak about his team’s toughness following the 1-0 loss on Saturday, though. Miami has never lost to Orlando in the regular season, winning both meetings last year.
Pick: (Miami +190)
I think this is going to be an excellent spot to fade public bettors. Orlando is the hot-button team right now and is definitely rolling coming into this match. However, the value is on the other side. Miami has had nearly a week off since its last match, where its coach praised his team’s togetherness in a tough outing. Orlando City will be playing its third match in less than a week and is having to go on the road, which is why the odds are going to look off to the public. Miami has underperformed this season, but I like them to win in this one.
Total: (Over 2.5)
I am expecting Miami’s attack to break out of its slump against a fatigued Orlando City side on Friday night. There are too many weapons on this roster for Miami to go scoreless at home. It had to deal with two red cards in its last match, which hurt its attacking chances. Miami will also be facing a backup goalkeeper, so this is setting up nicely for them offensively. Orlando’s fatigue is going to show up primarily on the defensive end—I expect its hot offense to net at least one goal on Friday.
