Messi still out, Suarez may rest for Inter Miami vs. Tigres Leagues Cup game in Houston

Fans should expect a few changes in the Inter Miami starting lineup Saturday for the Leagues Cup game against Mexican club Tigres in Houston.

With both teams already advanced to the Round of 32, and Miami having clinched home field advantage for the next game on Thursday, Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said his team can afford to rest a few players. Forward Luis Suarez, who complained of knee pain last week, is one player who might take the game off, Martino said.

Captain Lionel Messi remains out indefinitely with an ankle injury. He is no longer wearing a protective boot, Martino said, but he has not returned to training on the field and continues to work out in the gym. Center backs Sergiy Kryvtsov and Tomas “Toto” Aviles are back after missing the last game with injuries.

The winner on Saturday will play the loser of the match between Toronto FC and Pachuca, and vice-versa. Inter Miami will play its Round of 32 match at home Thursday, regardless of opponent.

“Our team is in a completely different place now than we were during last year’s Leagues Cup,” Martino said. “We were struggling last year and now we are in a good place in the league standings. If we make lineup changes Saturday, it’s because we can afford to do so at this point. When we get to the knockout game next Thursday, there is no room for rotations.

“There will be some changes, but not major changes because we are facing a team with one of the best rosters in Mexico.”

Martino added that goalkeeper Drake Callender will return to the starting lineup after taking off the Leagues Cup opener against Puebla last Saturday, which Miami won 2-0 with backup C.J. Dos Santos in goal.

A large Mexican fan contingent is expected at NRG Stadium to cheer on Tigres, one of Mexico’s most successful and popular teams. Tigres is based in Nuevo Leon and has won eight league titles. In the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup, Tigres finished runner-up to Bayern Munich, becoming the first CONCACAF club to reach a Club World Cup final.

“Although we have advanced to the next round, we know this is a good match for us to see where we stand against a team that surely will be in the running to win the title,” Martino said. “Tigres is one of the biggest teams in the Leagues Cup, so we feel this is a very valuable test for us.”

Martino, who coached the Mexican national team from 2019 to 2022, is quite familiar with Liga MX, Tigres and its Serbian coach Veljko Paunovic, who crossed paths with Martino from 2016-18 when Martino coached Atlanta United and Paunovic coached the Chicago Fire.

Paunovic took over the team in June after the controversial parting with former manager Roberto Dante Siboldi, who has since filed a lawsuit against club executives for wrongful dismissal and for accusing his assistant coach Miguel de Jesus Fuente of leaking information to rivals Monterrey.

Although Tigres is just four games into its league schedule and Inter Miami has played 25 MLS matches, Martino said he does not think the Mexican opponent will be at a disadvantage. The Leagues Cup games are all in the United States, but organizers this year made provisions to ensure top Mexican teams would not have to travel as much as they did last year.

“The conditions for the Mexican teams are better this year than they were for last year’s Cup,” Martino said. “Tigres got to play (Puebla) in Houston the other day and they will play again in Houston. And four games is enough to see a team in rhythm, especially considering each phase of the Mexican season has 17 games, so four games is almost 25 percent of the season.”

Among the top Tigres players to watch is French forward Andre Pierre Gignac.

“Without a doubt, Gignac is one of the most important foreign players ever in the Mexican league,” Martino said. “He is world class, a player who makes a huge impact on that team and has marked an era along with Nahual Guzman (of Argentina) in goal and Guido (Pizarro, of Argentina). It has been six or seven years they have been played together and won many titles.”

Martino said he has a special relationship with Guzman, who is from Martino’s hometown of Rosario. Martino coached Guzman at Newell’s Old Boys in 2012-13. He joked that he gives Guzman grief “when he behaves more like a telenovela (soap opera) star than a soccer player” on the field.

Asked what advantage he and his staff have facing Mexican teams as a former Mexican national team coaching staff, Martino said: “We are familiar with Mexican national team players, and in the case of Tigres, I know the foreign players because of their quality, but I’m not sure that translates in a tournament like this where we must go head-to-head. We can share certain player characteristics with our players, but what matters is how they are as a team, so I don’t our experience in Mexico gives us a big edge.”

WOLVES v LEIPZIG

While Inter Miami is away playing a Leagues Cup game against Tigres in Houston, the team’s home stadium will be put to good use as English Premier League team Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) and German Bundesliga team Leipzig play a preseason friendly on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

The Wolves’ season kicks off Aug. 17 on the road against Arsenal and Leipzig opens Aug. 24 against Bochum. Leipzig finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season and Wolves finished 14th in the EPL.

Four Leipzig players who did not travel are Benjamin Henrichs and David Raum of the German national team, who are on holiday after the European Championships; Castello Lukeba, who is with France at the Olympics; Christoph Baumgartner, who is injured; and Spanish attacker Dani Olmo, who is rumored to be headed to Barcelona.

Both teams are integrating new players during their U.S. camps. Wolves added Rodrigo Gomes, a 21-year-old winger from Portugal who scored two goals in a 3-1 preseason win over West Ham. Leipzig signed Belgian goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt and 18-year-old midfielder Assan Ouedraogo.

“We are here to work,” said Leipzig coach Marco Rose. “We are preparing for a tough season with Champions League, Bundesliga and Cup. It’s a challenge for us because of the travel, it’s a little new for us because it’s really, really hot here, but it’s been a very valuable camp.”

Wolves’ newly-named captain Mario Lemina said playing a Champions League team like Leipzig will help them prepare for their season opener against Arsenal.

“They are the same level as Arsenal, a really good team, really good shape and understanding of the game,” Lemina said. “We have to show our quality, as well, so it should be really good game.”

Wolves have been training in South Florida for two weeks, and squeezed in some golf, beach time, a boat tour around Fort Lauderdale and an airboat ride in the Everglades. Lemina joked that he skipped the airboat ride and sat by the hotel pool instead because he is afraid of alligators.

Lemina, who is from Gabon and is close friends with LAFC’s Gabonese star Denis Bouanga, was asked if the perception of MLS has changed in Europe. He replied: “Yes, it is very respected now in Europe. A lot of foreigners are coming to this league and it’s getting really important. I like they way they do things, as well, a little bit like the NBA. The do the All-Star Game and stuff. I woke up to watch it and it’s quite interesting. I have friends playing here that really enjoy the life here.”

Four Wolves players recently returned from national team duty, Nelson Semedo (Portugal), Pedro Neto (Portugal), Jose Sa (Portugal) and Joao Gomes (Brazil). They did not play in the U.S. games against West Ham and Crystal Palace (a 3-1 loss), but are expected to get minutes on Saturday.

“The heat and some of the travel meant we’ve done a bit less work than ideal, but on the flip side we got to spend a real good time together,” said Wolves coach Gary O’Neil “Some real good bonding. Some of the coaches went on the (airboat) ride and saw a couple of alligators. They loved it.”

Tickets for the Wolves vs. Leipzig match start at $15 and are available at TicketMaster.com