Lionel Messi and Inter Miami hope to turn their putrid 2024 preseason tour around as they travel to Hong Kong for a quick turnaround against a select team of national league players.
After reports that Messi felt “uncomfortable” in the pre-match period, he was relegated to a late cameo with Inter Miami beaten 6-0 by Al Nassr on Thursday. Just three days later, they will continue their global circumnavigation before the next competitive campaign.
The tough defeat comes after a poor run of games for Inter Miami this preseason, drawing 0-0 against the second-picked El Salvador national team early in the schedule, followed by a 1-0 loss to FC Dallas in Texas and a 4-3 loss to Al Hilal in Riyadh.
Defensive problems were a hallmark of Inter Miami’s poor campaign last year, and they are starting to resurface again in the preseason, leaving Tata Martino with much to reflect on as the season approaches. Add to that concerns over the fitness of their biggest star, and Inter Miami has problems to resolve on multiple fronts.
Inter Miami vs Hong Kong XI live stream, TV channel
The club friendly between Inter Miami and Hong Kong XI will be available to stream worldwide exclusively through the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Subscribers to the platform can access all MLS games throughout the regular season and playoffs in 2024, as well as the Leagues Cup later this year.
What time does Inter Miami vs Hong Kong XI start?
This friendly match begins at Hong Kong Stadium on Sunday, February 4 at 4 pm local time in Southeast Asia.
Here’s how that time translates in some of the world’s major territories:
| Date | Start time | |
| United States/Canada | Sunday, February 4 | 3 a.m. Eastern Time |
| United States/Canada | Sunday, February 4 | 12 a.m. Pacific Time |
| United Kingdom | Sunday, February 4 | 08:00 GMT |
| Australia | Sunday, February 4 | 7pm AEDT |
| India | Sunday, February 4 | 1:30 pm Eastern Time |
Inter Miami vs Hong Kong XI team lineups and news
With this match only three days after the disastrous performance against Al Nassr, it is possible that Tata Martino rotates his team a lot for this match.
It is not clear if Lionel Messi He will be in a position to start or even appear, taking into account that he only played six minutes at the end of the defeat against Al Nassr, and it is said that he felt “uncomfortable” after the friendly against Al Hilal a week ago.
young midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi He will miss two or three months after needing surgery for a sports hernia, a big loss for the side. side Ian Fray is still recovering from his torn ACL in the second half of last season, as is Franco Negri and Corentin Jean.
Inter Miami Projected Starting Lineup (3-5-2): Callender (GK) – Avilés, Kryvtsov, Allen – Gressel, Gregore, Busquets, D. Ruiz, Alba – Suárez, Campana.
The Hong Kong XI will feature a selection of players from all clubs in the Hong Kong national league.
The 25-man team, led by Hong Kong national team coach Jorn Anderson, features 12 players from Hong Kong plus another 13 players who come from foreign countries. Nations such as Brazil, England, Scotland, Spain, Ghana and others are represented on the list.
Sitting one-two in the Hong Kong Premier League table, Lee Man and Kitchee have a combined 12 players in the team.
Hong Kong Team XI:
GK: Pong Cheuk Hei (Resource Capital), Tse Ka Wing (Tai Po), Yapp Hung Fai (East).
DEF: Daniel Almazán (East), José Ángel (Lee Man), Calum Hall (East), Li Ngai Hoi (Lee Man), Oliver Gerbig (Kitchee), Timothy Chow (HKFC).
MIDDLE: Chan Siu Kwan (Tai Po), Cleiton (Kitchee), Marcos Gondra (Oriental), Jakob Jantscher (Kitchee), Mikael (Kitchee), Ngan Cheuk Pan (Sham Shui Po), Mitchell Paulissen (Lee Man), Charlie Scott (Kitchen).
Forward: Henri Anier (Lee Man), Mahama Awal (South), Everton Camargo (Lee Man), Nassam Irbahim (Rangers), Lam Hok Hei (HK U-23), Jordan Lam (North District), Ruslan Mingazow (Kitchee) , Gil (Lee Man).
