Inter Miami "Would Love to Have a Rematch" Against Al Nassr After Six-Goal Humiliation
Inter Miami's Julian Gressel has admitted that his team "would love to have a rematch" against Al Nassr following Thursday's 6-0 defeat in Saudi Arabia.
Gressel also rejected claims that the one-sided result proved that the Saudi Pro League is superior to the USA's Major League Soccer.
This was Miami's fourth pre-season game of 2024, while Al Nassr's players are midway through their 2023/24 regular season.
"I don't think you can compare," Gressel said. "We are very early on in the process, only in our third week together as a team after a long couple months off.
"So, you can't really compare. I think we would love to have a rematch at some point. That's the competitor in me, maybe in an official competition like a Club World Cup."
A rematch would likely also appeal to many fans who had been hoping to see Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo missed Thursday's game completely due to a calf injury, while Messi only entered the action in the 83rd minute when Miami were already losing 6-0.
Al Nassr's players pictured celebrating a goal during a 6-0 win over Inter Miami in Saudi Arabia this week
IMAGO/Xinhua/Wang Haizhou
Gressel - who started at right-back in Riyadh, although he often plays in midfield - was on the field for the full 90.
He added: "Ultimately, when the time comes, when it counts for us, that's when we want to be at our best and these games are valuable, even though they sting quite a bit. I think it's actually good to have games like this to prepare for the season.
"These aren't your regular pre-season games I've played in the past where you play in your training gear at times against other MLS teams. These are real games and that that will bode well for us."
Next up for Miami is a game against a Hong Kong XI on Sunday.
That will be followed by clashes with Vissel Kobe in Japan and Newell's Old Boys in Florida before the 2024 MLS season kicks off with a game against Real Salt Lake on February 21.
