New England Revolution vs Inter Miami: Preview, predictions and lineups

Inter Miami will look to continue their winning ways to remain atop the Eastern Conference table when they hit the road to take on New England Revolution this Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

After a few hiccups when the legendary Lionel Messi was out injured, the Herons have now got their season back on track with recent league triumphs over Sporting Kansas City and Nashville SC. Gerardo 'Tata' Martino's side have climbed to first place in the East with 18 points from 10 games played, and Messi has been at the forefront with a staggering 13 goal involvements in six appearances in 2024.

Messi was on point last time out for Miami, bagging a brace and registering an assist against Nashville in the Herons' 3-1 home triumph.

On the other side of the matchup, it's been a dismal start to the campaign for the Revs under first-year boss Caleb Porter. It's also been a huge fall from grace for one of the more consistent MLS teams that set a single-season points record just three seasons ago. The Revs have collected just four points from eight games played, sitting in the basement of the Eastern Conference.

Here is 90min's guide to New England Revolution vs Inter Miami in MLS.

What time does New England Revolution vs Inter Miami kick-off?

• Location: Foxborough, Massachusetts
• Stadium: Gillette Stadium
• Date: Saturday 27 April (United States) / Sunday 28 April (United Kingdom)
• Kick-off Time: 19:30 ET / 16:30 PT / 00:30 BST (Sunday)

New England Revolution vs Inter Miami H2H record (Last Five Games)

• New England Revolution: 2 wins
• Inter Miami: 3 wins
• Draws: 0

• Last meeting: New England Revolution 3-1 Inter Miami (10 June 2023) - MLS

Current form (all competitions)

How to watch New England Revolution vs Inter Miami on TV and live stream

New England Revolution team news

Like plenty of MLS sides, the Revs haven't been able to avoid the injury bug in their camp. Key figures like DeJuan Jones, Brandon Bye, Noel Buck and Jonathan Mensah have all missed time this season through injury. However, Buck is considered day-to-day and could feature on Saturday, while the likes of Mensah and Jones will more than likely be out of action until the middle of next month.

Inter Miami team news

The Herons also have their hands full with injuries, something that Martino has attempted to navigate with Facundo Farias being ruled out for the entire season after sustaining an ACL tear during preseason.

Even after Messi returned from his hamstring injury, several other key players for the Herons remained sidelined, such as Serhiy Kryvstov, Robert Taylor, Leo Campana, and Federico Redondo. Veteran full-back Jordi Alba was added to the long list of unavailable players after he sustained a hamstring injury not too long ago, and the former Spain international is set to return in roughly six weeks. Campana, Kryvstov, Taylor and Redondo are all expected to return the field by mid-May.

Miami's injury problems worsened this past weekend as Diego Gomez sustained an ankle injury and was stretchered off the field during the first half of their win over Nashville. However, the Herons have reportedly moved to sign Paraguay international Matias Rojas to provide competition up front for the attacking department.

New England Revolution vs Inter Miami score prediction

It's no coincidence that the Herons have returned to fine form ever since Messi's return to the XI, and you can expect that theme to continue this Saturday. There might be some rumblings about Suarez's availability given that Gillette Stadium has an artificial playing surface, but Messi and Sergio Busquets should both feature at minimum as they've already played on similar surfaces before in MLS.

Miami will be too much for the Revs and will extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference, while New England will be dealt another defeat in 2024.

Prediction: New England Revolution 1-4 Inter Miami