Cristian Chivu will make his managerial debut at Inter Milan in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup against Mexican side Monterrey on 18th June. Inter Milan will play their first FIFA Club World Cup match after 15 years. On the other hand, the 2021 CONCACAF Champions Monterrey will play their first match in the Club World Cup since 2022.
INSIDE THE TEAM (INTER MILAN)
- RECENT FORM- Inter Milan was completely humiliated by PSG in the Champions League final two weeks ago. This is the second time in the last three years that they have missed the opportunity to be crowned the European Champions. Despite their embarrassing loss in the Champions League final and not winning any silverware, they had a fairly good season. They came second in the Serie A season by a margin of 1 point. Even though there was a chance of lifting the treble in the 2024-25 season but it eventually did not happen.
- LAST 5 MATCHES –
| WINS | LOSSES | DRAWS | GF | GA |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 10 |
- KEY PLAYERS – Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez will lead the goal fest for the Italian club. Both of them were in red-hot form last season. Thuram has scored 18 goals and assisted 5 times last season across all competitions. On the other hand, his companion, the Argentine forward Lautaro, has scored 21 goals across all competitions, including 9 goals in the Champions League. Nicolo Barella and Hakan Chahanoglu will also play a crucial role in the match, as both of them combinedly to assist 16 times last season. But let’s not forget that Inter’s 2 wing-backs, Federico Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries, took a vital role in their attack last season. Dimarco has assisted 7 times in the Serie A, where Dumfries has assisted 3 times in the Champions League.
INSIDE THE TEAM (C.F. MONTERREY)
- RECENT FORM – Monterrey is not having a good time as they have finished 5th and 7th position in their domestic league. Also, they have not had any consistent winning performance in their last few matches. They will face Inter after being eliminated from Liga MX – Clausura Quarter Finals.
- LAST 5 MATCHES –
| WINS | LOSSES | DRAWS | GF | GA |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 6 |
- KEY PLAYERS – Monterrey’s number 7, German Berterame, had a fairly good domestic season. Berterame scored 22 goals across all competitions last season. Also, their Argentine winger Lucas Ocampos will play a crucial role in the attack. Jesus Corona provided 9 assists in the Liga MX; therefore, his presence against Inter will also be important. But, above all of them, the Spanish legend Sergio Ramos and his experiences will work like a treasure for Monterrey against Inter Milan. The veteran defender has already scored 4 goals in 9 matches for the Mexican club. Ramos’s inclusion in the playing 11 will be pivotal for the club.
FINAL PREDICTION – Though Inter will play their first match under their new coach, Cristian Chivu, they are leading the fixture against Monterrey. The embarrassing defeat in the Champions League final will not impact their match in the Club World Cup. They have beaten mighty teams like Bayern Munich and FC. Barcelona in the UCL’s knock-out phases, which will motivate them. On the other hand, it was a struggling season for Monterrey, and they are not used to playing against such strong European teams. Therefore, they will start the match on the back foot.
EXPERT BETTING TIPS – Based on the recent performance of both the teams Inter Milan is the favourite in the fixture. Inter’s mid-filed will be challenging forMonterrey. Inter is leading the fixture with 64% probability (odds ~ 1.55), draw (~4.3) and for Monterrey it’s (~5.25).
It will be difficult for the struggling Monterrey side to break the solid defence of Cristian Chivu side. Below 2.5 goals betting will be valuable. Lautaro Martinez’s recent form makes him a worthy pick. Though Monterrey will try to take advantage on the counter but the strong defensive lineup of the Italian side will manage those.
For the high-stakes players, a 2-0 or 1-0 score in favour of Inter will be worth exploring. For the conservative bettors Inter/Draw will add safety. (Predicted Score – Inter Milan 2-0 Monterrey)
