CF Montreal vs. Inter Miami: Projected lineups for Lionel Messi’s return to the MLS

Inter Miami is visiting CF Montreal for Lionel Messi’s return to the Major League Soccer.

Inter Miami head north to face CF Montréal at Saputo Stadium, marking their return to Major League Soccer action following their FIFA Club World Cup campaign. With the international tournament now behind them, all eyes turn once again to Lionel Messi and company as they rejoin the MLS regular season.

Among MLS representatives, Inter Miami emerged as the top-performing team in the Club World Cup. After narrowly missing out on topping their group, the Herons now aim to bring that same intensity and quality back to domestic competition.

Montréal, meanwhile, are enduring a disappointing 2025 season. Currently sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with just three wins, five draws, and 12 losses, the Canadian side enters the match on the back of a narrow 1–0 victory over New York City FC.

Inter Miami currently hold seventh place in the East and occupy the final automatic playoff spot. With four games in hand on some of the teams above them, the Herons see this clash in Canada as the ideal opportunity to start climbing the table.

Messi fully fit after Club World Cup

Lionel Messi played all 360 minutes of Inter Miami’s Club World Cup run—encouraging news considering his injury struggles earlier this year. Now back in form, head coach Javier Mascherano has no plans to rest his star man against Montréal.

“Fortunately, we had a long week, which worked out well for us. We were able to give most of the players two days off, especially the ones who had played more minutes. Leo is available, and unless something unexpected happens, he will travel,” Mascherano told reporters on Friday.

Projected lineups for CF Montreal and Inter Miami

CF Montreal’s projected lineups (4-4-2): Jonathan Sirois; Dawid Bugaj, George Campbell, Brandan Craig, Luca Petrasso; Dante Sealy, Victor Loturi, Samuel Piette, Tom Pearce; Prince-Osei Owusu, Jules-Antony Vilsaint.
Head coach: Marco Donadel.

Inter Miami’s projected lineups (4-4-2): Oscar Ustari; Marcelo Weigandt, Maximiliano Falcon, Tomas Aviles, Jordi Alba; Telasco Segovia, Federico Redondo, Sergio Busquets, Tadeo Allende; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez.
Head coach: Javier Mascherano.