Inter Milan will be looking to hit the ground running at Giuseppe Meazza when they kick off their new Serie A campaign against last season’s surprise package AC Monza on Saturday evening.
Inter Milan, who face AC Monza on Saturday, had an interesting season last time out under Simone Inzaghi, where they won the Coppa Italia, reached the finals of the Champions League, and finished third in Serie A.
As is customary, the summer has been a busy one at Inter Milan. There is always lots of speculation about incomings and outgoings at San Siro. But the fans should be pretty excited and pleased with how the off-season has gone so far.
On paper, at least, the Nerazzurri look set to compete for the Scudetto once again and challenge in Europe after their remarkable run to the Champions League final last term. That said, the hosts have been handed a tricky opening fixture against last season’s surprise package, Monza.
Following promotion from Serie B at the end of the 2021/22 season, Monza had a really difficult start to life back in the big-time but ultimately adjusted and comfortably finished eleventh in the Serie A table with an impressive 52-point tally under Raffaele Palladino’s guidance.
With an ambitious manager like Palladino at the helm, the visitors will want to push on and see if they can qualify for Europe. But the key will be to build a solid base and secure a top-ten finish this season. The Hard Tackle now looks at how both sides could line up with new additions for the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Inter Milan
Una storia senza tempo, un sogno da realizzare ⏳
È arrivato il momento: il nuovo episodio di “New Brothers” è qui.#ForzaInter #WelcomeCarlos pic.twitter.com/9TK68UK1PN— Inter (@Inter) August 17, 2023
Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi has virtually a fully fit squad, with Francesco Acerbi being the only absentee as he is still dealing with a muscular injury. With Davide Frattesi, Juan Cuadrado, Marko Arnautovic, and Marcus Thuram among the arrivals, Inter look to have bolstered their attack without losing their crown jewel, Lautaro Martinez.
With Andre Onana and Marcelo Brozovic out of the door, Yann Sommer and Frattesi have been brought in as direct replacements. Thuram and Arnautovic should also make up for Romelu Lukaku’s return to Chelsea and Edin Dzeko’s departure to Fenerbahce.
Sommer is expected to slot straight in for the departed Onana in between the sticks. Matteo Darmian, Acerbi, and Alessandro Bastoni looked rock-solid in a back-three towards the end of last season. But with Acerbi missing, Stefan de Vrij would likely slot in at the heart of central defensive unit.
Denzel Dumfries is the most likely option at right wing-back. But Cuadrado is also an experienced depth option. Federico Dimarco will battle it out with new signing Carlos Augusto over on the left, with the latter arriving as a replacement for Robin Gosens, who recently joined Union Berlin in the Bundesliga.
A midfield trio of Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Frattesi is expected to be the starting lineup. However, Inter have strength in depth in this area of the pitch, with Kristjan Asllani, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Stefano Sensi all pretty decent rotation options. Martinez and Thuram are set to be the preferred strike partnership, with Joaquin Correa, and Arnautovic among the backup options.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Darmian, de Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Frattesi, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
AC Monza
Monza head into the new campaign with an arguably weaker squad than they had last season. Standout left-back Carlos Augusto, who was one of the real breakout talents in Serie A, has left the Biancorossi to join Inter. The same goes for key midfielder Stefano Sensi, who is back at San Siro after a season-long loan with Monza.
They have also made some interesting additions. The likes of Inter trio Valentin Carboni, Roberto Gagliardini, and Danilo D’Ambrosio are shrewd pick-ups. The latter duo are likely to make Raffaele Palladino’s starting XI.
Next station ➡️ San Siro ⚽️⚪️🔴
Info biglietti 👉🏼 https://t.co/vS3OydDOkG 🎫🏟️#ACMonza #InterMonza #SerieATIM pic.twitter.com/08F1TOCev2— AC Monza (@ACMonza) August 17, 2023
Palladino preferred a 3-4-2-1 system last season and could stick with it here, with Michele Di Gregorio starting in goal. 28-year-old wide midfielder Patrick Ciurria was superb for Palladino’s side last time out, as he scored six goals and provided six assists in 36 league appearances.
Dany Mota is a strong contender to spearhead the attack ahead of Andrea Petagna, while Gianluca Caprari should bear the creative responsibility.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; D’Ambrosio, Mari, Caldirola; Ciurria, Gagliardini, Pessina, Kyriakopoulos; Colpani, Caprari; Mota
Key Stats
- Monza claimed four points from the Nerazzurri last season. That included winning 1-0 at San Siro against Inter as well as drawing 2-2 against them at home.
- Monza have failed to win any of their last three opening league games (D2 L1), including a 2-1 home loss to Torino at the start of 2022/23.
- Inter Milan won seven of their final eight league matches last season.
- Inter scored ten goals across their final three home league games last term.
- Monza are undefeated in six of their last seven competitive games, picking up three wins and three draws since the start of May.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
Martinez seems to have grown season upon season since joining Inter in 2018. The Argentine international is now the team’s leader in more ways than one. Towards the end of last season, Martinez frequently wore the captain’s armband.
The 25-year-old leads by example. His intensity and work rate set the tone in all phases of play. And then there are Martinez’s goals. He was razor-sharp in front of goal towards the back end of last season and enjoyed another prolific goalscoring season, with 21 goals to his name from 27 Serie A starts.
He has been in red-hot scoring form in the pre-season, with six goals in four pre-season appearances. Without Romelu Lukaku and Edin Dzeko, Inter will need their star forward fit and firing more than ever.
Prediction
Inter Milan 2-0 AC Monza
Clean sheets at the Meazza may not have been Inter’s forte last term. But with Monza losing a significant attacking weapon in Carlos Augusto to Inter Milan just days before this clash, the hosts should commence the new season in perfect fashion. Inter fared well in pre-season and could build on it here as they look to stroll to a comfortable opening-day win with a couple of goals in tow.
