Inter Miami’s international preseason tour heads to Saudi Arabia as Lionel Messi and Co. look to ramp up their preparations for the upcoming MLS season with a star-studded clash against Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal on Monday in the first of two games in the Riyadh Season Cup.
The Herons were one of the worst MLS teams last season, but they looked like a much more competitive outfit since the arrival of legendary Lionel Messi and even lifted the recently-formed Leagues Cup. Needless to say, they will be considered favourites to win in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, Leagues Cup, U.S. Open Cup and MLS Cup this year.
Despite adding Messi’s Barcelona partner-in-crime Luis Suárez to their roster, Tata Martino’s side is still looking for its first goal and victory of the 2024 preseason. They were held to a 0-0 draw by the El Salvador national team in their preseason opener, followed by a meek 1-0 defeat at FC Dallas on Monday.
They now face an Al-Hilal side who enter the contest on the back of an incredible run of form before the winter break. Jorge Jesus’ men ended 2023 riding on an incredible 20-game winning run in all competitions, and are seven points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League table with 53 points from 19 games.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Al Hilal vs Inter Miami CF kick-off time
| Date: | Monday, January 29, 2024 |
| Kick-off time: | 1 pm ET/12 pm CT/10 am PT |
| Venue: | Kingdom Arena |
The game between Al-Hilal and Inter Miami will be played at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday, January 29, 2023.
Kick-off is scheduled for 1 pm ET/10 am PT in the United States.
How to watch Al Hilal vs Inter Miami CF online – TV channels & live streams
The game will be available to watch and stream worldwide on Apple TV, through the MLS Season Pass. Highlights of the game will be uploaded to the official Inter Miami YouTube channel. Live updates can be accessed here.
If you are abroad, you may need to use a virtual private network (VPN) to watch games using your usual streaming service. A VPN, such as NordVPN, allows you to establish a secure connection online when streaming. If you are unsure which VPN to use, check out GOAL‘s guide to the best VPNs for streaming sports.
Team news & squads
Al Hilal team news
Brazilian attacker Neymar will miss a reunion with former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain teammate Lionel Messi as he remains on the sidelines for Al-Hilal because of a cruciate ligament tear, while starting goalkeeper Bono, Khadim Diaw, and defender Kalidou Koulibaly are away at Africa Cup of Nations duty with Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal, respectively.
Furthermore, no less than ten players have been called up to the Saudi Arabia side for the ongoing Asian Cup. Still, the club has plenty of star power, including Rúben Neves, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Malcom, and newly-arrived Renan Lodi.
Al-Hilal possible XI: Al-Wutaian; Al-Mufarrij, Jahfali, Al-Shahrani, Lodi; Al-Juwayr, Neves, Milinkovic-Savic; Malcolm, Mitrovic, Michael
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Bono, Al-Owais, Al-Wotayan, Abu Rasen |
| Defenders: | Koulibaly, Tambakti, Al-Bulaihi, K. Al-Dawsari, Al-Mufarrij, Jahfali, Al-Shahrani, N. Al-Dawsari, Abdulhamid, Al-Burayk |
| Midfielders: | Neves, Al-Malki, Al-Asmari, Milinkovic-Savic, Kanno, Al-Juwayr, S. Al-Dawsari, Al-Qahtani |
| Forwards: | Al-Shehri, Al-Hamdan, Al-Faraj, Michael, Malcolm, Mitrovic |
Inter Miami CF team news
Unlike their counterparts, Inter Miami will make the trip to Saudi Arabia and Asia without any AFCON or Asian Cup absentees, but they will remain without the services of ACL victims Facundo Farias, Franco Negri and Ian Fray.
Tata Martino’s travelling party unsurprisingly includes former Barcelona quartet of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and the newly-recruited Luis Suarez.
Inter Miami possible XI: Callender; Yedlin, Kryvtsov, Aviles, McVey, Allen; Gressel, Ruiz, Busquets; Messi, Suarez
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Callender, Dos Santos, Jensen |
| Defenders: | Alba, Allen, Avilés, Boatwright, Freire, Hall, Kryvtsov, McVey, Sailor, Yedlin |
| Midfielders: | Bright, Busquets, Gregore, Gressel, Robinson, Ruiz, Sunderland, Taylor |
| Forwards: | Borgelin, Campana, Messi, Suárez |
Head-to-Head Record
This will be the first-ever meeting between Inter Miami and Al-Hilal, with the Saudi Pro League giants entering the clash as slight favourites.
