The first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs gets underway on Friday night when the Supporters’ Shield winners Inter Miami welcome Atlanta United to Chase Stadium for the first match of their best of three series.
All eyes will be on Miami who are the MLS Cup favourites from here but Atlanta have picked up two wins on the road this week and can be dangerous. The MLS Season Pass on Apple TV has full coverage of the 1.30am kick off while bookmaker live streams will also show it.
Inter Miami
Inter Miami have already won the regular season silverware but it is the overall crown that they will be seeking and they will be looking to get off to a positive start in this series because there are a number of aging parts in their squad so the chance to bypass a third game would be very welcome. A win here would set up the opportunity of securing that when they head to Atlanta next week so we should expect the Herons to be bang on it in this playoff opener.
We know all about Miami now. They are as good as anything in the MLS in attack with Lionel Messi pulling the strings and the likes of Luis Suarez a more than capable assistant. If they are going to win this series in straight games and go on and winning the MLS Cup then it will be their defence in transition which could determine the fate that they have. If they can avoid being done up on the counter then the regular season champions will be very hard to beat.
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Atlanta United
You get the impression that everything from here on in is a bonus for Atlanta United. They had no real right to be in the postseason given that they needed to go to Orlando and win on Decision Day and then a whole host of results elsewhere go their way. That happened which sent them to Montreal in the wildcard game in midweek which they won on penalties and now here they are with little to lose in a best of three clash with the favourites to win MLS Cup.
You do wonder if successive away journeys and a third in the space of six days here offers up the chance for Atlanta to save some players for a much more winnable second game of the series next week and so their team sheet will be interesting. This is an Atlanta side who have been to this part of Florida and won this season so they shouldn’t be scared of their opposition here but clearly with the amount of travelling they have done recently and the lack of recovery and preparation time they have had, it would be understandable if something has to give here.
Betting
I get that this is the playoffs but I don’t expect to see Inter Miami do anything different. The fact that this is a best of three series means that there is an opportunity to put a statement win out in the opening game and Inter Miami look to have everything to do that here but I still don’t trust them defensively. New England Revolution, the lowest scoring side in MLS, just scored twice against this Miami defence and Miami have only kept two clean sheets in their last 19 matches in MLS.
This is a free hit for Atlanta United. They know whatever happens here they will have a fresher side on home soil next week to attempt to get back here for a deciding match so they have nothing to lose in this one. They have already been to Miami and won and have scored three times and twice in the two matches against them so from an offensive point of view they know how to get at this Miami side. I don’t see anyone keeping Miami out at the other end these days so even in a playoff match I see no reason why this doesn’t go over 3.5 goals.
Tips
Back Over 3.5 goals for a 3/10 stake at 2.05 with Unibet
