Inter kick off their Serie A campaign today evening at the San Siro against Monza.
Inter will hope for a turnaround of things this season after enduring an inconsistent spell during the last campaign. While they did secure Champions League qualification by finishing top four, Simone Inzaghi had a nervy time in achieving that as they lost twelve times in the league, the most amongst the top-four finishers.
Due to a dilemma in balancing their finances, the Nerazzurri had to let go of a host of their star players — Andre Onana, Edin Dzeko, Marcelo Brozovic, Milan Skriniar and Romelu Lukaku. Veteran goalkeeper Samir Handanovic also left the club after eleven seasons.
Inter have brought in fresh faces within their ranks and we will see the likes of Davide Frattesi, Marcus Thuram, Yann Sommer, Marko Arnautovic and Carlos Augusto feature for the club this season.
Meanwhile, Monza will hope to psychologically capitalise on their previous results against Inter and come away with a positive result today.
The Biancorossi were one of the two teams who denied the Nerazzurri a win in both fixtures last season, settling for 2-2 draw at home and earning a famous 1-0 victory at the San Siro.
Led by manager Raffaele Palladino, the Lombardy-based club reached ambitious heights in numerous performances last season as they finished 11th in the league standings. No Serie A debutant has ever achieved Monza’s record in their first season in the top flight in over 20 years.
Monza haven’t won their opening game in the past three years and while another season of excitement awaits the club, Inter is expected to humble them.
Results from their last five matches across all competitions
Inter:
W W W D W
Monza:
L D W W L
Team News
New signing Yann Sommer is set to start in goal for Inter.
Carlos Augusto will face his former teammates and he might feature at some point in the match.
Davide Fratessi, Yann Bisseck and Juan Cuadrado may contribute a part.
Marcus Thuram will join Lautaro Martinez upfront.
As for Monza, Armando Izzo will miss the match through suspension.
It will be a reunion for Danilo D’Ambrosio and Roberto Gagliardini with their former Nerazzurri teammates.
Predicted XIs
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Darmian, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Monza (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; D’Ambrosio, Mari, Caldirola; Ciurria, Gagliardini, Pessina, Kyriakopoulos; Colpani, Caprari; Mota
Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN
