Lionel Messi makes a move duirng last weekend's Inter Miami win over Nashville FC. The Revs are expeciting a Patriots-like crowd of some 65,000 tonight at Gillette Stadium. (AP photo)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Messi Mania will grip the region tonight.

The New England Revolution (1-6-1; 4 pts.) are set to host Inter Miami CF (5-2-3; 18 pts.) tonight for a 7:30 p.m. match with more than 65,000 fans expected at Gillette Stadium for the MLS regular season matchup.

Twenty-eight years to the day after the club’s inaugural home game at the former Foxboro Stadium on April 27, 1996, the Revolution will likely set a new single-game attendance record on Saturday. The expected sellout crowd will exceed the 61,316 fans who attended the 2002 MLS Cup final between New England and the LA Galaxy.

Saturday’s match between the Revolution and Inter Miami and its superstar Lionel Messi is projected to post the second-highest attendance for a soccer match in Gillette Stadium’s 23-year history.

Inter Miami CF, the current Supporters’ Shield leaders through roughly one quarter of the season, carries a four-game unbeaten streak into Gillette Stadium, including a 3-1 home win over Nashville SC in Fort Lauderdale last Saturday. After falling behind 1-0 via an own goal, “the Herons” rallied with a two-goal and one-assist performance from its captain, Messi, the first of which was assisted by decorated Uruguayan international Luis Suarez. Messi (7) and Suarez (6) are the leading scorers of a Miami team that also boasts two other former FC Barcelona fixtures in Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

Messi, who played once before at Gillette Stadium with a goal-and-assist performance for Argentina against Venezuela in Copa América Centenario in 2016, leads the team with six assists on the year. His 13 goal contributions rank second in MLS, as he became the first player in league history to record multiple goal contributions in five out of six games at the start of a season.

New England and Inter Miami CF have been evenly matched in the all-time series with three wins each through six meetings. In the last encounter, the Revolution collected a 3-1 victory on June 10, 2023, with goals from midfielders Carles Gil and Matt Polster, and forward Bobby Wood. In his last outing, Polster eclipsed 10,000 career minutes played with the Revolution in all competitions. Gil, New England’s leading scorer with three MLS tallies this season, owns three goals and five assists over six career games played against Inter Miami CF.

New England has registered results in its last two home matches, posting a draw with Chicago Fire FC on March 23 and a shutout win over Charlotte FC on April 6. Revolution bolstered their defense earlier this week before the close of the MLS primary transfer window, acquiring veteran MLS center back Xavier Arreaga from Seattle Sounders FC.