Looking to maintain their unbeaten status in pre-season, Inter Milan will welcome Saudi Pro League juggernauts Al Ittihad to U-Power Stadium in Monza on Wednesday night for a friendly clash.
The Nerazzurri are preparing to defend their fully-deserved Serie A title from 2023-24, whilst the Chief of Clubs are aiming to bounce back following a disappointing year in the Middle East.
Match preview
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Inter Milan are going through their pre-season preparations this summer in the knowledge that they are the benchmark in Italian football at the moment, with the Nerazzurri finishing 19 points ahead of the chasing pack during the 2023-24 term to claim their 20th Serie A crown.
The transformation of the San Siro club under the expert leadership of Simone Inzaghi has been stark, with the 48-year-old winning 104 and losing just 26 of his 158 matches in charge of Inter, who will be targeting success in this season's revamped edition of the Champions League.
A possible contender for the next Ballon D'or, Lautaro Martinez fired the Nerazzurri to the Italian title with 24 goals in 33 Serie A appearances last campaign before forming part of Argentina's squad at Copa America in the United States, where Lionel Messi and company achieved pan-American glory.
Inter have lost a pair of experienced heads so far this summer in the form of ex-Manchester United attacker Alexis Sanchez and former Chelsea winger Juan Cuadrado, with the duo leaving the Scudetto winners at the conclusion of their contracts, becoming free agents.
Wednesday's battle in Monza will be the Nerazzurri's fifth match of a busy summer itinerary, with the Italian champions currently unbeaten, although they did require an added-time equaliser from centre-back Yann Aurel Bisseck to prevent a surprise defeat to Serie B side Pisa on Friday night.
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After securing their third-ever Saudi Pro League trophy during an enjoyable 2022-23 season, Al Ittihad were victims of last summer's serious influx of talent into the division, finishing an eye-watering 42 points behind league champions Al-Hilal by the conclusion of a troubling 2023-24 season.
The Chief of Clubs eventually finished fifth in the top-tier standings, five points behind fourth-placed Al-Taawoun, meaning that a club boasting some of football's most recognisable names will not feature in either the AFC Champions League or AFC Cup during the 2024-25 campaign.
The vast majority of onlookers expected Al Ittihad to find another gear following the arrival of Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema last summer, but the Frenchman failed to make the seismic impact on the Pro League that many anticipated, netting only nine goals in 21 league appearances.
Moussa Diaby's £52m transfer from Champions League-bound Aston Villa has been the main talking point this summer surrounding the Middle East heavyweights, who are still searching for their maiden win of pre-season following defeats to Spanish trio Elche, Sevilla and Real Betis.
Twelve months after leaving his managerial post at Ligue 1 outfit Lyon, Laurent Blanc has been asked to lead Al Ittihad back to Pro League title contention, with the 58-year-old having experience of coaching in Asia at Qatar Stars League club Al-Rayyan between 2020 and 2022.
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Team News
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Inter Milan will be without the services of summer signing Mehdi Taremi, who bagged five goals in three pre-season matches for his new employers before picking up a thigh injury that will keep him sidelined until the end of the month.
The Nerazzurri are also unable to call upon the talents of full-back Tajon Buchanan, who has spent a large chunk of the summer on international duty with Canada at Copa America.
Turkey's Euro 2024 hero Hakan Calhanoglu started on the bench for the draw to Pisa but could be included in the first XI here, whilst new arrival Davide Frattesi is pushing to make his maiden start for Inter.
Al Ittihad are also lacking a key full-back option, with 28-year-old Ahmed Bamsaud still recovering from a cruciate ligament injury suffered in December 2023.
Coming off the back of a 19-goal campaign last season, Pro League veteran Abderrazak Hamdallah is a possible match-winner for the visitors on Wednesday night.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Fontanarosa; Kamate, Barella, Mkhitaryan, Zielinski, Augusto; Correa, Salcedo
Al Ittihad possible starting lineup:
Almahasnah; Almusa, Felipe, Alsqoor, Kadesh; Fabinho, Alnashri, Aouar; Diaby, Hamdallah, Benzema
We say: Inter Milan 2-1 Al Ittihad
Unbeaten so far in pre-season and with a number of international stars fully returning from extended breaks, Inter Milan should be confident of recording victory in Monza.
Al Ittihad are experiencing some teething issues as they look to get accustomed to Blanc's tactics, and we feel that the Pro League giants will suffer a fourth straight defeat of the summer against the Serie A holders.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
