Montreal Impact vs. Inter Miami – MLS, October 17, 2020

Montreal and Inter Miami meet for the very first time on Saturday, October 17, with Thierry Henry’s men sitting just two points ahead of the MLS new boys in the Eastern Conference.

The Impact has lost six of their previous eight outings and has only picked up one victory during that period. On the other hand, the Herons head into this clash on an impressive three-game unbeaten streak.

After checking out the bookies’ odds, I give my Montreal Impact vs. Inter Miami prediction and betting pick.

Montreal (3.55) may be listed as the home side here, but with New York’s Red Bull Arena the venue for this clash, there will be no home advantage for the Canadians on Saturday.

The top online soccer betting sites have clearly taken the contrasting form of the two sides into account when pricing up this matchup. Inter Miami (1.85) is the bookies’ favorite to win this one, despite the Impact’s two-point lead over the Herons.

Montreal lost 3-2 to New England Revolution last time out, although it’s fair to say the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story. The Revs raced into a two-goal lead inside 20 minutes before Amar Sejdic pulled one back. But New England dominated the game, with Ballou Tabla netting an injury-time consolation.

The Canadians ended high-flying Columbus Crew’s unbeaten home streak with a 2-1 victory last week. Henry’s men ended their own five-game winless run in the process, but back-to-back defeats since then have seen them fall further down the standings.

The Impact is still in contention for a play-off spot, although securing a top-six finish will be tricky. Montreal is more likely to sneak into a qualification place, but the Quebec club will need to find some form first.

By contrast, Inter Miami has certainly found some form. The Herons had endured a wildly inconsistent debut MLS campaign before Blaise Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuain arrived in Florida, but the high-profile additions have helped to turn the team’s season around.

Another angle because we DESERVE IT.

MLS, Gonzalo Higuaín says hi. pic.twitter.com/nvHOkCyq7X

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) October 8, 2020

Higuain netted a superb free-kick to earn Miami a comeback victory against New York Red Bulls last week. The Herons then secured back-to-back wins for the very first time by beating Houston Dynamo 1-0 last weekend.

Diego Alonso’s men were extremely unlucky not to register their third straight win on Wednesday. They completely dominated Atlanta United and limited the Five Stripes to just one shot on target. But despite racking up a whopping 21 shots of their own, the game eventually finished 1-1.

Needless to say, the momentum is firmly with Inter Miami right now. Alonso’s men have finally found their feet in 2020, and Montreal should be worried.

Ultimately, this matchup brings together two teams moving in opposite directions. Montreal has been falling down the standings lately, and it’s difficult to see how Henry is going to stop the slide. On the other hand, Inter Miami has been climbing up the ladder.

I’m not sure the odds gap for this game should be as big as it is. Montreal is still a good team, but it’s difficult to ignore the Herons’ recent resurgence.