Rapids aim for anniversary win over Messi's Miami

• Still, Rapids fans are rabid for an early-season victory against, arguably, soccer's biggest superstar.

The intrigue: Messi has been known to miss many regular-season games, though there's no indication he won't take the field in Denver.

State of play: The Rapids enter Saturday's showdown fresh off a 6-2 trashing over the Houston Dynamo FC on April 11, and sit in sixth place in the Western Conference.

• Inter Miami is in third place in the Eastern Conference after tying its last two league games, but lost its head coach, Javier Mascherano, on Tuesday.

The big picture: Saturday's matchup will mark the second pro soccer game at Empower Field in as many months, after Denver Summit FC drew a record crowd to the NFL stadium in March.

• The Rapids have sold more than 60,000 tickets for Saturday's game, meaning they're within reach of the team's record attendance: 61,213 on July 4, 2002, against the Chicago Fire, per the club.

What to watch: Brazilian forward Rafael Navarro leads Colorado in scoring, netting five goals in seven league games.

• Inter Miami's star-studded roster includes Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez and Messi's Argentine teammate, midfielder Rodrigo De Paul.

By the numbers: Oddsmakers place Colorado as an underdog, per DraftKings.

What's next: Saturday's game airs at 2:30pm on Apple TV.

• Tickets start at about $80 on the secondary market.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the Rapid's attendance record is 61,213 (not 59,500).