🔊 Which team will fall short of the Club World Cup after the group stage, and who will advance to the playoffs? On June 19, Inter Miami face Porto at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The identical situation among all teams in the group only adds to the suspense—each of the four clubs has the same number of points, as well as goals scored and conceded—0. This means none of them can afford to drop points. But in football, that's not how it works—someone will inevitably falter. So, what prediction do we have for this upcoming match?

Head-to-Head

📊 The clubs have never faced each other in either friendly or official matches. The upcoming game will mark the first-ever encounter between Inter Miami and Porto.

Inter Miami Team Overview

🟣 Javier Mascherano's squad didn't start the tournament as brightly as fans and pundits had anticipated. Inter Miami kicked off their campaign against Egypt's Al Ahly, and in the first half alone, the American side faced several potential goals against them. The team was saved by one man—38-year-old Argentine goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, who made eight saves, including a penalty stop in the 43rd minute. Later, Inter Miami began creating dangerous opportunities, largely thanks to the efforts of Lionel Messi, who came close to scoring on several occasions. However, Al Ahly's goalkeeper also showcased his high-level skills. The match ended in a goalless draw.

🔗 Al Ahly might not be the most formidable opponent in the group. Up next for Inter is a more challenging test: a match against Porto, a club with a rich history in international tournaments and a steady influx of talented youth from their academy. In the third round, Miami will face Brazil's Palmeiras—a multiple-time Brazilian champion boasting a roster full of both rising stars and seasoned players.

Porto Team Overview

🔵 The "Dragons" kicked off their tournament journey with a match against Brazilian side Palmeiras. Despite numerous chances for both teams, the game ended in a goalless draw. It wasn't a defensive stalemate; rather, the attacking players failed to convert their opportunities, thanks in part to the excellent performances from both goalkeepers.

🔗 Group A appears quite balanced after the first round, but on paper, our editorial team believes that the Portuguese club has the most favorable schedule. They started against one of the strongest teams not only in Brazil but across South America. Next, they face Inter, a team featuring legendary but aging players. Their third match will be against Al-Ahly. While Al-Ahly is Egypt's top team and managed to defeat Inter Miami in the first round, Porto still looks like the favorite on paper for this encounter.

Latest news

Inter Miami

🔝 After the match against Al-Ahli, Oscar Ustari was deservedly named the player of the match. His experience and reliability between the posts were crucial for "the Herons" at the start of the tournament.

🎙 Head coach Javier Mascherano commented on the game: "I'm satisfied with our performance. We looked much better in the second half. In the first half, we made a few mistakes, allowing the opponent to create dangerous chances. But after the break, we seized the initiative, controlled the ball, and could have even won."

❌ Meanwhile, the participation of two key players in the next match remains uncertain – left-back Jordi Alba and midfielder Bright Yannick, who missed the first round due to health issues. Their recovery is ongoing, and a decision on their involvement will be made closer to game time.

Porto

🎙 Head coach Martin Anselmi reflected on the match against Palmeiras: “It was a highly competitive game. We had several promising moments. In the first half, we managed to control the ball well, but it wasn't easy due to the strong players in their lineup who put us under significant pressure. We lacked precision in finishing our plays. We started the second half well but allowed ourselves to fade. They have worked hard on these aspects and are in an active phase of their season. For us, it was the first game after a break and against an opponent with many options. I want to highlight the players' mindset and how they fought until the end. The next game is always the most important. Winning in football is no easy feat; nothing is handed to you, and everyone competes fiercely. We are focused on the next two games, on doing our job, and continuing to improve. It's good that this was our first game because it set a good pace for us, and from this moment, we are ready. It was important to play against Palmeiras in our opening match.”

❌ The team's main goalkeeper and captain, Diogo Costa, missed the first match due to health issues. Defensive midfielder Marko Grujić was not registered for the tournament due to a heel bone injury.

⚽ Goal Prediction

⚽ Goal Prediction

Inter Miami have netted 36 goals in 16 MLS matches, the highest tally among all teams in the league, averaging 2.25 goals per game. Meanwhile, Porto scored 65 times across 34 matches in the Portuguese Championship, ranking third in the league with an average of 1.9 goals per game. This data suggests that the goalless draws in the first round were more of an anomaly. Therefore, we anticipate that the upcoming head-to-head is unlikely to be short on goals—over 2.5 total goals seems a likely outcome.

🚩 Corner Prediction

In their first match, Inter Miami clearly outperformed all their group opponents in corner statistics, executing 10 corners under Javier Mascherano’s guidance. Porto, on the other hand, managed only 4 corners against Palmeiras. In 16 MLS matches, the average total corners in games involving Inter Miami is 9.8, with Inter’s individual total at 5.3 and their opponents’ at 4.5. Given these figures, we suggest a bet on: Inter Miami not losing in corner kicks.

We hope that the opening round served as a warm-up for both clubs. It's unlikely that teams boasting leaders like Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on one side, and Samuel Omorodion and Rodrigo Mora on the other, will go another match without finding the net. According to bookmakers, Porto are the favorites for this encounter. However, in our view, the odds on Inter Miami are overly inflated.

Despite the clean sheets in the first round, it's hard to claim that either side has an outstanding defense—the credit for those zeroes goes primarily to the goalkeepers. But keepers aren't superheroes; they can't save their team from every shot on target. Therefore, our prediction is: both teams to score (yes). The probable scoreline is 2-2.