Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United Pick – MLS, August 26, 2020

Following six attempts, Inter Miami finally has their first MLS win. The newcomer beat rival Orlando City 3-2 in the Florida Derby on Sunday, but Diego Alonso’s men don’t have time for celebrations. Atlanta United visits the Herons on Wednesday, August 26, fresh from a comfortable victory over Nashville SC.

Despite crashing out of the MLS is Back Tournament at the group stage, Atlanta already holds a six-point lead over Miami in the Eastern Conference. But can the home side thwart the visitor? Keep reading to see my Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United prediction and betting pick.

In all honesty, I’m pretty surprised with the odds that the best betting sites are offering for this game. Yes, Inter Miami will be buoyant after clinching their maiden MLS victory. But there is no denying that Atlanta is the stronger of the two teams. Of course, the Five Stripes endured a torrid time in Florida last month. But in my eyes, the away side should be the favorite to win this matchup.

I attempt to make sense of the bookmakers’ odds by assessing both sides’ chances below.

Inter Miami opened their MLS account by snatching three points from Orlando last time out, although it was by no means a convincing victory. A first-half double from Argentine youngster Julian Carranza saw the Herons go into the break with a 2-1 lead before Rodolfo Pizzaro netted his third goal of the season early in the second half. A late Nani strike set up a nervous ending, but Alonso’s men managed to hold on.

Miami was in desperate need of some points following a fruitless group-stage campaign at the MLS is Back Tournament. The team lost all three games last month to finish rock bottom of Group A, and after suffering two regular-season defeats earlier in the year, the Herons still find themselves at the bottom end of the Eastern Conference.

Remarkably, Atlanta also failed to pick up a single point in Florida. Defeats to New York Red Bulls, FC Cincinnati, and Columbus Crew saw United crash out at the group stage, and manager Frank de Boer parted ways with the club shortly after.

However, regular-season victories over Nashville and Cincinnati before the campaign was put on hold have given the Five Stripes somewhat of a head start. Interim boss Stephen Glass oversaw another win against Nashville last weekend, meaning Atlanta already sits on nine points in the Eastern Conference standings.

It’s been a strange year for Atlanta so far, but let’s not forget that United won the MLS Cup in 2018 and reached the Conference Finals last term.

I think it’s important that we don’t get too carried away with Inter Miami’s debut MLS win. Yes, the newcomer showed some promising signs against Orlando. But the Herons still have a long way to go. In my opinion, the price for the Atlanta win is too good to miss here. The Five Stripes have experienced an indifferent year up to now, but they should beat Miami.