Will Messi play at Gillette Stadium? New England hosts Inter Miami: Here’s the latest
Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez are making the trip to New England, but will they play in Saturday night’s soccer match against the Revolution?
Lingering concerns about the field surface at Gillette Stadium have raised doubt about whether they will play. Messi, who played on turf at Charlotte last year, appears more likely. Suárez, who has chronic knee issues, could be another story.
Messi is second in MLS with seven goals scored, while Suarez is tied for third with three other players who have scored six goals. Inter Miami also enters the New England match ranked first in the MLS Eastern Conference and needing to accumulate as many points as possible before Messi departs for Copa America 2024 with Argentina this summer.
“The players are all available. They are all able to travel. And, well, then we will see the formation to face New England,” Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said Friday without revealing his lineup.
“We have already played in Charlotte, which was artificial, last year," he continued, adding it wasn’t a problem then for the club and its players.
At least 64,000 fans are expected in attendance Saturday, which will likely set a team record for the Revolution, and potentially be one of the top three most attended soccer matches in Gillette Stadium’s 23-year history.
How to watch New England vs. Inter Miami live stream
Inter Miami faces the New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday night. The game will be streamed via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
WATCH: Messi and Inter Miami at New England on Apple TV
TICKETS: See Messi and Inter Miami take on the New England Revolution at Gillete Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.
SHOP: Get the latest Messi and Inter Miami gear from the MLS Store
More on New England’s playing surface before Inter Miami game
The soccer playing surface at Gillette Stadium is the same field used by the New England Patriots for NFL games and similar to the turf Messi played on in Charlotte, a Revolution team spokesman told USA TODAY Sports earlier this week.
"Same high-quality surface you’ll find at stadiums like Portland, Seattle, Charlotte – where Messi did play 90 minutes on the same type of surface," the spokesman said.
“All of my lower leagues, I’ve always played on turf,” Messi said last August. “That was a long time ago, and it’s been a long time since I played on synthetic turf. But I have no problem adapting to turf again.”
Inter Miami is relatively healthy for New England match
Messi’s Barcelona sidekick Jordi Alba will miss his second straight game due to a right hamstring injury. Midfielder Diego Gomez will miss the next six weeks with an ankle sprain. And midfielder Federico Redondo is still a month away from returning from a knee injury. Otherwise, Inter Miami is healthier than it’s been in a while.
Messi will play in his fifth consecutive game since returning from a hamstring injury that kept him out March 13-April 6. Midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi also returned to the lineup to play sparingly in the last two games after sports hernia surgery. His presence, along with newly signed midfielder Matias Rojas, should help in Gomez’s absence. Strikers Leo Campana and Robert Taylor could return from hamstring injuries to play New England.
Asked how he feels about his team with some players returning from injury, Martino joked: "I’d like to start the 'ConcaChampions' tournament again."
Inter Miami was eliminated by Monterrey, which lost 2-1 to MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew earlier this week in the first of two matches in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal.
Inter Miami upcoming schedule
Here are the next five Inter Miami matches after visiting New England:
∎May 4: Inter Miami vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m. ET
∎May 11: Inter Miami at CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET
∎May 15: Inter Miami at Orlando City, 7:30 p.m. ET
∎May 18: Inter Miami vs. DC United, 7:30 p.m. ET
∎May 25: Inter Miami at Vancouver, 10:30 p.m. ET
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New England vs. Inter Miami: Time, live stream and Messi update
