Bay Area soccer fans, the wait is just about over.
The San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday will play host to global soccer superstar Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF in a highly anticipated match at PayPal Park.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PayPal Park gates open at 5:30 p.m.
The Earthquakes (5-6-1, eighth in the Western Conference) are 3-3-1 in home games. Cristian Arango paces the top-scoring squad in Western Conference action with eight goals. The Earthquakes have a conference-leading 26 goals.
Inter Miami (6-2-3, fourth in the Eastern Conference) is 3-1-1 in road games. Miami is seventh in the Eastern Conference with 53 shots on goal, averaging 4.8 per game.
Wednesday’s game is the first time these teams match up this season.
Arango has eight goals and one assist for the Earthquakes. Josef Martinez has five goals and one assist over the past 10 games.
Messi has scored five goals and added two assists for Miami. Luis Suarez has two goals and six assists over the last 10 games.
Earthquakes: 3-6-1, averaging 2.0 goals, 5.8 shots on goal and 5.0 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.9 goals per game.
Inter Miami: 6-2-2, averaging 1.9 goals, 4.7 shots on goal and 5.7 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.3 goals per game.
As of Wednesday morning, the starting lineups for both squads were still unknown.
In Miami’s last five matches – three MLS regular season contests and two Concacaf Champions Cup matches – Messi suited up and played in four, scoring twice.
Keep an eye on the Earthquakes’ website for the latest lineup information.
Here’s a look at who’s not expected to play for both sides.
Earthquakes: Bruno Wilson (injured), Josef Martinez (injured)
Inter Miami: David Ruiz (injured), Baltasar Rodriguez (injured), Drake Callender (injured)
The Earthquakes announced Monday that single-game tickets for the match had sold out. Limited season tickets, including the Inter Miami match, were still available but only while they last, the Quakes said.
Fans heading to PayPal Park to catch the action should visit the Earthquakes’ website and check out the match guide for detailed information about parking, concessions and more.
