There is a massive showdown on Wednesday in Ohio’s capital, as the two best teams in the Eastern Conference are set to square off against each other at Lower.com Field. Both the Columbus Crew and Inter Miami come into this match after frustrating draws this past weekend.

Miami sits in first place in the East and at the top of the MLS table. The visitors can clinch the Supporters’ Shield with a win on Wednesday. Despite an eight-point lead at the top of the standings, Miami has not won in three matches.

The Crew, who has a game in hand over Inter, must win this match to keep Supporters’ Shield dreams alive. In addition, the Black & Gold are likely getting their first shot at the full Miami team, as these two sides have played them twice (one win each) without their full complement of players.

Regardless of the result this Wednesday, the Crew, Miami, their fans and the league will get a sneak peek of what could be an Eastern Conference Final.

Below is everything you need to know about Inter’s star-studded roster and how the Crew can flip the Supporters’ Shield race.

Inter Miami at a glance:

Form: D-D-D-W-W

Record: 19-8-4  (65 Points)

Leading Scorer: Luis Suarez (17 goals)

Assist Leader: Lionel Messi (10 assists)

Player to watch: Lionel Messi

I’ve been writing for Massive Report for five seasons now, and this is the easiest paragraph I have ever written or will ever write. You know who he is. You know what he does.

Messi is the greatest player to ever play this game and is, therefore, the best player in league history, at least from a talent and reputation perspective. Everything he does is magic. Messi is dangerous everytime he touches the ball and even without it. The Crew, like every team he plays, will have to keep an eye on Messi the entire match on Wednesday night.

How Inter Miami plays:

There are to be two different Miami sides, depending on who is on the pitch for Inter. The Black & Gold seen both.

In June, Columbus fell in the sweltering Miami summer to a team without Messi and Luis Suarez. Instead, Leo Campagna and Robert Taylor pressed and harried the Crew’s backline into mistakes that led to a two-goal lead for Inter.

In the Leagues Cup, with Suarez back and Messi still sidelined with injury, the Black & Gold beat a Miami team who was a little bit more reluctant to press in moments and defended deeper. With Messi now in play, the Black & Gold will finally see the full version of Miami and how Columbus stacks up. 

Inter head coach Tata Martino prefers to play a 4-3-3 formation. The famous Barcelona side with Messi, Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba largely perfected the 4-3-3, and yet Miami changed the team’s shape in the Leagues Cup match against Columbus. Miami shifted to a fluid 5-2-3 with the ball and a 5-4-1 without it. This has quickly become the en-vogue way to stop the Crew.

Playing with a back 3 (or 5) has allowed Black & Gold opponents to frustrate and stifle Columbus’ attack by eliminating the numerical advantages in the midfield. The Crew experienced this in both Hell Is Real matches against FC Cincinnati and just a week ago against Club América.

Keep an eye on whether or not Martino sticks with a 4-3-3 or shifts to a 5-2-3 with Messi available. A 4-3-3 could indicate that Miami is going to go for it and try to outgun the Black & Gold. If Inter uses any version of a 3-5-2, 5-2-3 or 3-4-3, it could indicate a more pragmatic approach from the Herons.  

In possession, Miami will play in the same shape. Inter uses a back three with either wing backs or outside backs pushing up the field and wingers pushing inside to from a box with the other central midfielders. The striker typically occupies the opponent’s backline and looks to combine with the players underneath and run in behind when possible. If this sounds familiar, it is because it’s the shape Columbus gets into when on the ball. The advantages this shape gives the teams that use it make it a widely popular choice for possession-dominate teams. 

How the Crew can win

Simply put, the Crew has to win this match in order to stay alive in the Supporters Shield race, or at least keep Miami from winning the trophy in Columbus. With Messi expected to play, it’s fair to say his presence changes this match significantly, leaving little to take from the previous two matchups with Inter. Regardless, there are a few things the Crew need to do well, and lessons they need to learn, in order to shift the tide in the Shield race. 

No silly turnovers. Despite the different defensive approaches Miami has used, one thing has been consistent over the meetings between the two sides: the Black & Gold have given the ball away in dangerous areas and been punished brutally by Inter. Columbus is more than capable of playing out of pressure, but would be wise to limit the times the team triesto do so, at least early on Wednesday. If the Crew can avoid giving Miami chances this way, the Black & Gold can go toe to toe with them in the match. 

Keep the ball. Columbus loves to have the ball. Inter loves to have the ball. The Crew can take Miami out of the team’s rhythm by keeping possession effectively. Furthermore, the best way to stop Inter is to deny the ball. At times on Wednesday, the best form of defense will be possession. Lastly, while Suarez and Messi are unbelievably talented, neither is known for their defending. Thus, the Black & Gold will be effectively keeping the ball against nine men. Taking advantage of that would be wise. 

Counterpress effectively. Miami will look to maintain possession after winning the ball from Columbus. If the Crew can quickly react and try and win the ball back seconds after losing it, the Black & Gold will likely be able to win the ball back as Inter looks to connect passes to buy time to get into their attacking shape. With the attacking being disorganized and the players switched off from their defensive responsibilities, counter-pressing presents an important moment where Columbus could win the ball back easily and be dangerous when they do so.