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Fans have reacted to Lionel Messi's Inter Miami starting without attacker Robert Taylor in the friendly against Al-Hilal in Riyadh on Monday (January 29).
The Herons are playing their third pre-season game of the season, having drawn goalless in a hybrid friendly at El Salvador and losing 1-0 at FC Dallas earlier this month.
Boss Tata Martino has named a strong lineup to face the Saudi Pro League leaders, who have won their last 20 competitive games across competitions, not conceding in 17, including the last four.
New signing Luis Suarez is set to start alongside his former Barcelona teammate Messi up front. However, fans reckon the SPL leaders could wreak havoc in the absence of Taylor, who has 11 goals and 14 assists in 77 games across competitions since 2022.
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One tweeted:
"I love Messi, but Al-Hilal is killing us today."
Another chimed in:
"I'm scared"
Here are some of the top reactions on X:
The game marks the start of the Riyadh Season Cup, a three-team friendly tournament in the Saudi capital. The other team in the competition is Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr, who take on Messi and Co. on February 1.
How does Lionel Messi and Inter Miami's rest of the pre-season schedule look like after Al-Hilal game?
Lionel Messi and Co. are in the midst of their maiden pre-season outside American shores.
Having drawn goalless with El-Salvador in their first game outside the US, Martino's side will hope for better luck against Al-Hilal. However, the Saudi Pro League leaders are in imperious form and will be a tough nut to crack.
Three days later, the Herons take on Al-Hilal's domestic rivals, Al-Nassr, who are second in the Saudi league, seven points behind the former after 19 games. Following that, Inter Miami take on Hong Kong Team in Hong Kong, a collection of the region's top first-division players, on February 4.
Three days later, Inter Miami take on Vissel Kobe in Tokyo before returning home to Miami, where they take on their captain Messi's boyhood club, Newell's Old Boys, on February 15.
