'Nashville have put us in tough situations' - Manager Javier Mascherano wary as Lionel Messi and Inter Miami hit the road for second playoff matchup

For the second game of the series, Miami visit to Nashville - a team they’ve defeated twice in the past two weeks, both times convincingly.

Despite those recent wins, the Miami manager Javier Mascherano acknowledged Nashville’s quality and the challenges they’ve posed to his side, emphasizing the need for focus and improvement ahead of Saturday’s decisive playoff match. The Herons hold an 8-3 aggregate goal advantage over Nashville across their last two meetings.

“We have to pay attention to the details and keep improving to arrive in the best possible shape,” Mascherano said. “Even though we’ve had two good results against them in recent weeks, we know Nashville have put us in tough situations before. We managed to handle them well, but we expect them to test us again, and we have to be ready for that.”

The Inter Miami boss confirmed that he will have a full squad available, with the only exception being David Ruiz, who remains in recovery. The team’s key figures - including Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Rodrigo De Paul - are all fit and available for selection.

“We have a core group - a spine that’s untouchable - because any team that wants to succeed needs one,” Mascherano said. “From there, we make adjustments depending on what the team and the game demand. I don’t believe in identical matches, so it’s essential that everyone understands their importance.

"I always say the quality of minutes matters more than the quantity. We’ll decide who starts based on what we think the match requires. Aside from David, who’s still recovering, everyone’s ready - and every player will have a role to play.”

Mascherano addressed De Paul’s recent trip to Argentina following Inter Miami’s 3-1 win over Nashville in the first game of the series. The midfielder used his days off to travel to Buenos Aires to take care of personal matters - and also attended Futttura, the debut concert of his partner, Tini Stoessel.

“He had to travel for personal reasons, and we gave him permission,” Mascherano said. “When you give players time off, you don’t ask what they’re going to do.”

If Miami win Game 2 of the series at GEODIS Park, they would advance to the next round - and in doing so, erase the bitter memory of last season, when - after claiming the Supporters’ Shield with a record points total - they were eliminated at the same round by Atlanta United, a team that had only made it through via the Wild Card.