Inter Miami might be without Busquets for playoff game at Atlanta United on Saturday
Atlanta United faces playoff elimination and is highly motivated to put on a show for an estimated home crowd of 70,000 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night against favored Inter Miami in Game Two of the best-of-3 series.
Miami has a bit of breathing room, holding a 1-0 lead after winning the series opener 2-1 at home last Friday. Lionel Messi and his teammates would stay alive with a loss, and the deciding Game 3 would be played at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale Nov. 9.
Nevertheless, Miami coach Tata Martino says his team does not want to take any chances. They will put out their best lineup and play with urgency in hopes of clinching a spot in the conference semifinals.
“We have played 35 games, we’re four games from reaching our objective, so this is not the time to make changes or hold back,” Martino said.
The only big question mark is whether Sergio Busquets will play.
The world-class midfielder, known for his field vision and pinpoint long passes, has been out all week with an undisclosed illness, was not at training Friday morning and is listed as questionable for the game. Martino said he would be evaluated Friday to determine if he would travel.
If Busquets cannot play, Inter Miami has several options in midfield, including Julian Gressel, Benja Cremaschi and Matias Rojas.
The game (7 p.m., Apple TV) will be a homecoming for Martino, who coached Atlanta United to the 2018 MLS Cup.
“Going back to Atlanta is always special for me and brings back many great memories,” he said. “Even though I am with a different team now, the respect and gratitude I have for Atlanta won’t ever change.”
Much has changed since Martino coached in Atlanta, but Brad Guzan remains the starting goalkeeper at age 40. The former U.S. national team keeper made eight saves against Inter Miami in Game 1 and managed to keep Messi scoreless. Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba scored, with an assist from Messi.
“He is phenomenal,” Martino said of Guzan. “Besides his qualities as a keeper, which we are all familiar with, I know him as a great leader, a positive person, always working for the betterment of the team, totally committed to the group. Obviously, all this in addition to his being a great goalkeeper. Each day he’s better. He seems ageless.”
Martino is also quite familiar with Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s artificial turf and says the surface has not affected the team’s preparation, nor will it affect his lineup.
“We played there before [a 2-2 tie Sept. 18], the players adjusted well, had no problems with the artificial surface,” Martino said.
Center back Noah Allen explained players do have to make minor adjustments when playing on turf, but he and his teammates will be ready.
“I think you have to be smarter and more alert on turf,” Allen said. “The ball can bounce differently at any time, even a normal pass to or from the keeper; it can change directly quickly. Maybe there are times when I’m not so aggressive when pressing or going against the defender, just knowing the bounce could be different.
“But we’ve played on turf a lot, we’re in the playoffs now, so no matter what surface we play on, we’re going to go out there and compete and go to win.”
Atlanta midfielder Dax McCarty said the key for his team is to be the aggressor and challenge Miami’s defense.
“You’re going to have to score a couple of goals against them,” McCarty said. “That’s just the nature of playing against Miami right now. They’re just so, so dangerous and so good going forward. You’re going to have to live with conceding a few opportunities, and potentially conceding a few goals…But we need to score a few ourselves and make sure we’re more dangerous when we have the ball.”
McCarty added that Atlanta was a bit fatigued during Game 1, having played three games last week with a three-day turnaround on the road from the dramatic penalty-kick shootout Tuesday in the wild card game at Montreal to the Friday game at Inter Miami.
Saturday, they will be rested against a Miami defense that has been vulnerable in transition and could potentially be missing Busquets, who plays a key defensive role.
“With an aggressive mind-set and well-rested legs, we will be able to open the game up and test their back line,” he said. “They have good players back there, but they have shown they concede goals if you put pressure on them.”
Atlanta United interim coach Rob Valentino noted that his team seems more rested and energetic this week.
“I just felt like there was a whole different buzz and energy to them,” Valentino said. “They’ve got sleep, they’ve got proper nutrition, they just got rest. They look like they’ve got a little bit of a chip on their shoulder like, ‘Hey, come on, guys, like, we’ve got to go after this. We’ve got one game, and that’s the only one we’re focused on.’”
Inter Miami injury report: Leo Afonso (groin) out, Ian Fray (knee) out, Nico Freire (knee) out, Sergiy Kryvtsov (hamstring) out, Oscar Ustari (hamstring) out, Busquets (illness) questionable, David Ruiz (hamstring) questionable.
This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 4:11 PM.