Inter Milan are all set to square up against CF Monterrey on Tuesday in their opening Group E fixture of the Club World Cup. Both teams will be eager to kick-start their campaigns with a win in a group that also comprises River Plate and Urawa Red Diamonds.
Monterrey secured a spot in the new look Club World Cup by winning the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League, which was their fifth triumph in a decade. They have finished third in the CWC on two occasions (2012 and 2019). But it will certainly be difficult to replicate that in this extended format.
Following the sacking of Martin Demichelis, former Barcelona and Manchester City assistant Domenec Torrent will be the one leading the Mexican outfit at the global event in America. He will be hoping his team could cause a few major upsets and go deep in the competition.
They will square up against an Inter Milan outfit that ended the 2024/25 season in the worst possible fashion. Simone Inzaghi’s team were in contention for the treble just over a month back but couldn’t lift any silverware in the end.
They failed to make it to the Coppa Italia final, lost the UEFA Champions League final and finished second in Serie A. Cristian Chivu has taken over from Inzaghi as their new boss, and he will be eager to guide them to glory at the first time of asking. However, it won’t be easy as some of the biggest clubs are a part of the competition. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
The Mexican outfit will remain without the services of Carlos Salcedo, who remains on the sideline. But CF Monterrey do have a boost as four-time Club World Cup winner Sergio Ramos is fully fit to lead them in this fixture.
Monterrey will line up in a 4-3-3 formation, where Esteban Andrada will be in goal. Stefan Medina and Gerardo Arteaga will feature as the full-backs, while skipper Ramos will partner with Jorge Rodriguez in central defence.
Fidel Ambriz and Ricardo Chavez will form the double pivot in midfield. While they would love to control the tempo of the game, the duo will most likely have a lot of defending to do. Oliver Torres and Jesus Corona will feature on the flanks as wingers, while Sergio Canales will take up the no. 10 role. In attack, German Berterame will lead the line for Monterrey against Inter Milan.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Andrada; Medina, Rodriguez, Ramos, Arteaga; Ambriz, Chavez; Torres, Canales, Corona; Berterame
While Cristian Chivu prefers playing with the 4-3-3 formation, he could continue to stick with the 3-5-2 formation for now.
With Joaquin Correa and Marko Arnautovic leaving the club upon the expiry of their contract and Mehdi Taremi grounded in Tehran because of airstrikes in his homeland, Inter will certainly be short of options in the final third. Meanwhile, Piotr Zielinski is also expected to be a major doubt because of a calf problem.
Yann Sommer will feature in goal for Inter Milan, and the Nerazzurri will line up in the familiar 3-5-2 formation on Tuesday. Benjamin Pavard should partner with Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni in the heart of the defence.
Meanwhile, Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco will feature as the wing-backs. In the centre of the park, Hakan Calhanoglu will feature in the holding role, while Nicolo Barella and new signing Petar Sucic will be in his support. The trio will look to control the tempo and dominate the ball. Finally, it could be the reliable partnership of Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Sucic, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Thuram was one of the standout performers for Inter Milan during the 2024/25 season. The Frenchman ended up contributing towards 27 goals in his 48 outings. He found the back of the net on 18 occasions and bagged another nine assists.
The 27-year-old will certainly be a key player for Chivu, who will be hoping to make a winning start to his tenure at Inter. Thuram will not only add goals but his overall game could come in handy. His ability to hold up play and bring in wide players into the game could have a big say on the end result of the fixture.Inter Milan might have ended the season in disappointment, but there is still enough quality and experience in their ranks to make a strong push at the Club World Cup. Cristian Chivu might be new to the role, but he knows the club inside out and could get the best out of his new charges in a tournament setting.
Monterrey, on the other hand, have enough firepower and seasoned names to ask serious questions of the Nerazzurri. In Canales and Corona, they boast players capable of unlocking any defence on their day. But the lack of recent competitive football and an unsettled defensive setup might just tilt the game in Inter’s favour.
Expect a tight affair, but Inter Milan’s superior individual quality and tournament experience could prove decisive. The Hard Tackle predicts a hardfought 2-1 win for Cristian Chivu and his charges.
