MIAMI — When Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates arrive at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday for Game 2 in their first-round MLS playoff series, they should be prepared to find a fired-up crowd of 70,000 fans and a fearless, upset-minded opponent.

Atlanta United opened the stadium to full capacity for the game, anticipating a potential sellout. The last time these two teams played there, a 2-2 tie on Sept. 18, a crowd of 67,795 was in the building.

There were plenty of Messi No. 10 jerseys in the stands that day — some Inter Miami pink, others Argentine sky blue and white. The Inter Miami captain got a big cheer when he entered the field off the bench at the 61-minute mark, but the loudest roar was when Atlanta’s Alexey Miranchuk scored the equalizing goal in the 84th minute.

The crowd is expected to be even louder on Saturday (7 p.m., Apple TV) as top-seeded Miami aims to clinch the best-of-3 series after winning Game 1 at home 2-1 last Friday.

Atlanta United, which squeaked into the playoffs as a wild card, will try to stay alive and force Game 3, which would be Nov. 9 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

“I’m already buzzing about what that place is going to be like,” Atlanta interim coach Rob Valentino said of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. “My message to the team was that these people are waiting to cheer for you, you’ve been three on the road to finish into the playoffs and you can feel the buzz getting back for them. Even all the people coming to see [Lionel] Messi, no problem. I love it, because eventually, like last time when things were going well, they were also cheering [for us]. I get it, come to see the superstars, come and see our team fight and compete but these boys aren’t done yet.”

Atlanta players are promising to be more assertive on Saturday and not sit back as much as they did in the series opener.

“We’re the underdogs, no one expects us to advance out of the series, but we have to have that internal belief that we’re not scared,” Atlanta midfielder Dax McCarty said. “We have to respect how good they are as a team, and obviously the players they have, but we can’t be afraid of that. We can’t show them too much respect. ... We took four points off Inter Miami this year, and I think we need to take a lot of confidence and momentum with that on Saturday.

“We have to be the aggressor. We’re going to have 70,000 people behind us, and quite frankly, we’ve got nothing to lose. I think you’ll see a much different performance at home.”

Atlanta played three games last week and had a three-day turnaround on the road from the dramatic penalty-kick shootout Tuesday in the wild-card game at Montreal to the Friday game at Inter Miami. MLS chose to have Miami and Atlanta kick off the playoffs with a standalone game Friday night. This weekend, Atlanta will be well-rested.

“Having to go play in the play-in game, having the league want to showcase Inter Miami the first playoff game ... we’re not complaining and saying it’s not fair, it’s the reality of the situation,” McCarty said. “We rolled up our sleeves and tried to get the job done and were one half away. We don’t want the season to end in front of our home fans, so we’ll try to put on a show for them.”

Asked if Atlanta will have an advantage playing on a larger field Saturday, McCarty said: “I really don’t think it matters. Honestly, they could play in a shoe box and I think they would still be effective at what they do. That’s how rehearsed they are, how much quality they have. It’s just the nature of their team. They’re still some of the most comfortable players in the world in possession.”

Despite having a star-studded roster, the best record in league history, and a 1-0 lead in the series, Inter Miami center back Noah Allen insists he and his teammates are not taking Saturday’s game lightly. On the contrary.

“We kind of have a pissed-off attitude, because of the way we performed [Friday],” Allen said. “We knew we played well, but there were so many chances we should have finished, and that’s what you’re going to see on Saturday. [Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan] had a great game. He’s an amazing goalkeeper. Veteran, played in England, Premier League, so we’ve got to respect him. But we have to bury our chances on Saturday.”

Notes

Sergio Busquets was ill and missed Inter Miami training Wednesday. There was no word on whether it will affect his availability for the game ... Center back Ian Fray, who left the stadium on crutches and in tears Friday night, underwent surgery on his right meniscus and is expected back early next year. The Coconut Creek native overcame ACL tears in 2021, 2022 and 2023. “He’s come back stronger every single time,” Allen said of Fray, one of his closest friends. “He’s an inspiration to me and other players, the way he cones back stronger and better. I expect no less next year.”

©2024 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.