Inter Milan and Monterrey enter their opening FIFA Club World Cup showdown at the beginning of new eras.
In the aftermath of their 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final, head coach Simone Inzaghi confirmed his departure to Al Hilal.
Inzaghi led Inter to a pair of Champions League finals and won the Scudetto in 2023/24, in between two second-place finishes in Serie A. Cristian Chivu has returned to San Siro from Parma to replace Inzaghi and unquestionably has a tough act to follow.
Opposite number Domenec Torrent was only appointed last month after exits from the Clausura and Champions Cup led to former River Plate boss Martin Demichelis paying with his job.
MORE: The entire 2025 Club World Cup match schedule & results
Monterrey vs. Inter Milan predicted lineups, team news
Sergio Ramos will captain Monterrey. The former Real Madrid star has won the Club World Cup four times and is back following a month-long lay-off.
Another experienced ex-Spain international will be one of Monterrey's main threats. Sergio Canales has scored 31 goals and provided 16 assists across two fruitful seasons in Mexico.
Striker German Berterame has been a beneficiary of playing alongside set-piece specialist Canales and scored 20 times in Liga MX last term.
Monterrey predicted lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Andrada (GK) — Medina, Rodriguez, Ramos, Arteaga — Ambriz, Chavez — Torres, Canales, Corona —Berterame
Injured: Salcedo (ankle)
Suspended: None
MORE: Full list of players, squads for all 32 Club World Cup participants
Full Monterrey squad
Goalkeepers: Esteban Andrada, Luis Cardenas, Santiago Mele, Santiago Perez
Defenders: Erick Aguirre, Gerardo Arteaga, Ricardo Chavez, Victor Guzman, Tony Leone, Stefan Medina, Hector Moreno, Sergio Ramos, Luis Reyes, Carlos Salcedo, Gustavo Sanchez
Midfielders: Fidel Ambriz, Sergio Canales, Jesus Corona, Jordi Cortizo, Nelson Deossa, Iker Fimbres, Lucas Ocampos, Jorge Rodriguez, Oliver Torres
Forwards: Alfonso Alvarado, German Berterame, Roberto de la Rosa, Alfonso Gonzalez, Joaquin Moxica, Johan Rojas
Mehdi Taremi is grounded in Tehran after visiting his homeland to collect the Iranian Footballer of the Year award before Israel attacked his homeland.
Joaquin Correa and Marko Arnautovic leaving Inter on free transfers are hardly comparable situations, but they combine to leave Chivu light in attack aside from first-choice duo Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram.
Given Inter's long-standing familiarity with 3-5-2, Chivu is likely to stick with Inzaghi's favourite formation, at least for the time being. Injuries to Hakan Calhanoglu and Piotr Zielinski could mean a start in midfield for new signing Petar Susic.
Inter Milan predicted lineup (3-5-2, right to left): Sommer (GK) — Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni — Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Sucic, Dimarco — Thuram, Martinez
Injured: Calhanoglu, Esposito (knee), Zielinski (calf, doubt)
Unavailable: Taremi
Suspended: None
Full Inter Milan squad
Goalkeepers: Raffaele Di Gennaro, Alessandro Calligaris, Josep Martinez, Yann Sommer
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi, Carlos Augusto, Alessandro Bastoni, Yann Bisseck, Matteo Cocchi, Stefan de Vrij, Matteo Darmian, Federico Dimarco, Tomas Palacios, Benjamin Pavard, Gabriele Re Cecconi
Midfielders: Kristjan Asllani, Nicolo Barella, Thomas Berenbruch, Hakan Calhanoglu, Denzel Dumfries, Davide Frattesi, Luis Henrique, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Petar Sucic, Nicolas Zalewski, Piotr Zielinski
Forwards: Valentin Carboni, Giacomo De Pieri, Francesco Esposito, Sebastiano Esposito, Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez, Mehdi Taremi
Monterrey vs. Inter Milan score prediction
This match between two recently successful sides who have suffered even more recent disappointments that hastened transitional moments is hard to call with any certainty.
However, Inter's big-game players should be able to get the job done, with the Martinez-Thuram strike pairing providing a clear point of difference.
Prediction: Monterrey 1-2 Inter Milan
Monterrey vs. Inter Milan live stream, TV channel
All matches across the entirety of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be streamed for free on DAZN across the globe. In addition, some matches may be televised in certain regions as per DAZN's deals with local networks and services.
Here's how to watch this 2025 Club World Cup group stage match across selected areas of the world's major regions: