Italian Serie A Match Preview, Week 1: Inter Milan Vs Monza
Written By Onyeka Daniel
At the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza today, it will be Inter Milan against Monza for their first game of the 2023/24 Serie A season and for both teams, starting on a positive note would do a lot to their confidence. For Inter Milan, the target is to win the Scudetto, to add another star to their badge while for Monza, they would be aiming to do better than their mid-table finish from last season.
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It’s been an upheaval season for the Nerazzurri in the summer transfer window as they’ve bid goodbye to several stars of their players. Andre Onana, Marcelo Brozovic, Edin Dzeko, Romelu Lukaku, Milan Skriniar and club captain Samir Handanovic have all left the club.
With several other departures too, but the team also has some new faces. Davide Frattesi, Marcus Thuram, Marko Arnautovic, Yann Sommer, Yann Bisseck, Emile Audero and ex-Monza wing-back Carlos Augusto are among the fresh faces at San Siro, so Inzaghi has some new options to consider for selection this weekend.
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They defeated both Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig during a largely successful pre-season training tour and have won their opening league fixture in each of the last four years and are unbeaten for 10 years in their first home match; however, they have yet to get the better of Monza since the Biancorossi made their bow in the Italian top flight.
Last season, only Monza and Juventus denied the Nerazzurri victory across both league games, as a 2-2 draw at the Brianteo was followed by a famous 1-0 win for the visitors in Milan. Not for over 20 years has a Serie A debutant done better in their first season, and an impressive away record played a major part In Monza’s success.
Only the top two, Napoli and Lazio, have accrued more points away from home in 2023, three of which came from beating Inter in April, when ex-Nerazzurro Luca Caldirola popped up with the winner at San Siro. Last week, a second-half collapse at home to Serie B side Reggiana saw them exit the Coppa Italia, so a club that has also failed to win their opening league match in each of the past three years start as clear outsiders on Saturday.
They will need to take motivation from that record to spur them on in their post-Silvio Berlusconi era, having failed to start their last three league campaigns with a win. Monza have managed to add some interesting names to their roster, recruiting experienced experienced players like Matteo Pessina, Andrea Petagna, Gianluca Caprari, Roberto Gagliardini and Danilo D’Ambrosio, all of whom bring a bit of Milan experiencee with them.
Style Of Play
The two teams play with a 3-man defense and expect them to line up that way for today’s game and they also rely in their wing plays to attack mostly. Inzaghi will be using his trusted 3-5-2 formation against Raffaela Palladino’s 3-4-2-1 formation. The battle will be in the midfield and this is where the home side will have an advantage as they will be able to control the game and pin their opponent to their own half, but they will have to be wary of those breaks from Monza.
Recent Form
In their last 20 games played across all competitions, Inter have 15 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses. They’re unbeaten in their pre-season games with 4 wins and one draw. Their last defeat was against Manchester City in the final of the UCL. For the away side, in their last 20 games, they’ve 10 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses.
Head To Head
Both teams have faced each other just three times, twice last season and once in a friendly game in 2020. Inter won the friendly game while Monza were the better side last season, getting a draw at their home before grabbing a huge win at the San Siro.
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Players To Watch
Expect new captain, Lautaro Martinez to lead the attack alongside new signing, Marcus Thuram in a new look attack and Nicolo Barella will run the show from the midfield for the home side. There are several former Inter Milan players in this Monza team, including their goalkeeper and Lorenzo Pirola, but its Caprari who will be expected to carry the creativity burden for the club, alongside Dany Mota.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup: Sommer; Darmian, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan/Frattesi, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Monza possible starting lineup: Di Gregorio; D’Ambrosio, Mari, Caldirola; Ciurria, Gagliardini, Pessina, Kyriakopoulos; Colpani, Caprari; Mota
Injuries And Suspensions
At this stage of the season, there’s not much injury worries for both sides. Inter Milan will definitely be with Francesco Acerbi while Monza will be without Armando Izzo (yellow card accumulation) and Davide Bettella (injury). Carlos Augusto recently made the switch to Inter Milan in a loan move and will be lining up for his new team against his former teammates.
Verdict
It should be an easy win for the home side to kickstart their bid to add another League title to their trophy cabinet. Expect a goal from Martinez and Thuram (3-1).
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