Club World Cup Preview: Monterrey vs Inter – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Serie A runners-up Inter return to the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time since 2010, seeking redemption for a heart-wrenching season. Inter’s journey in a competitive-looking Group E gets underway at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, against seasoned campaigners CF Monterrey.

This encounter could well determine the winner of this group. With all due respect to Urawa Red Diamonds, their chances of upsetting the odds are minimal. Argentine powerhouse River Plate could disrupt the order in this section, which only heightens the pressure on Inter and Monterrey ahead of this curtain-raising fixture.

No strangers to the Club World Cup, the five-time Mexican champions gear up for their sixth appearance in the tournament. The Liga MX giants have qualified for this expanded edition of the competition as winners of the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League – their fifth continental success since the start of the 2010/11 season.

On the other hand, Inter punched their tickets to the United States through the UEFA ranking pathway. However, this will be a brand-new experience for the Italian powerhouse. After a catastrophic 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final, the club parted ways with long-serving manager Simone Inzaghi.

His successor, Cristian Chivu, prepares for his sternest test in senior management yet. Despite helping Parma secure Serie A survival in 2024/25, coaching a club of Inter’s stature is an entirely different proposition. The omens look good, though, as Chivu won this competition as a player 15 years ago.

Match Preview

CF Monterrey

As aforementioned, this is not uncharted territory for Monterrey. Furthermore, they’ve got used to making standout results at the Club World Cup, securing third-place finishes in 2012 and 2019. Yet, those successes came in another format.

More recently, Monterrey crashed out of the Clausura 2025 Liga MX quarter-finals at the hands of Toluca. That underwhelming result prompted the club hierarchy to relieve underperforming manager Martin Demichelis of his duties and appoint Domenec Torrent as the new chief of staff.

Pep Guardiola’s former assistant at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City couldn’t have hope for a more challenging task on his touchline debut. Indeed, Los Albiazules have lost both previous Club World Cup showdowns against European opposition ‘to one.’

It’s hard to put it past the Mexicans to get on the scoresheet again, considering they’ve only failed to score once in their previous 12 Club World Cup outings. However, it’s worth noting that Monterrey’s recent fixtures have often been ill-tempered, with seven of their last 12 producing at least one red card.

Inter

The newly formatted Club World Cup could be an ideal opportunity for a fresh start after Inter endured their only trophyless season under Inzaghi. In addition to a humiliating loss in the Champions League showpiece, they narrowly lost the Scudetto race to fierce rivals Napoli.

As such, a flying start under Chivu could provide a much-needed lift in morale. Back in 2010, Inter won this tournament without conceding. However, it’s unrealistic to expect the Nerazzurri to replicate that feat despite bolstering their ranks in the build-up to this trip across the Atlantic.

Luis Henrique and Petar Sucic have joined the San Siro giants immediately after the end of a club season in Europe. Therefore, they’ll likely make their Inter debuts in North America. Their acquisitions should increase Inter’s already-intimidating firepower.

Chivu’s side netted a jaw-dropping 114 goals across all competitions in 2024/25, shattering their previous record from 1929/30. Yet, defensive solidity has been equally significant, with seven of Inter’s last ten games seeing the winner keep a clean sheet.

Team News

Monterrey will place their trust into the hands of ex-La Liga stars Jesus Corona, Sergio Ramos, Sergio Canales, and Oliver Torres. However, German Berterame could be Los Albiazules’ X-Factor after tallying an eye-catching 20 Liga MX goals last term.

On the other hand, Inter will be without several first-team stars for this day-one clash. Hakan Calhanoglu, Yann Bisseck, Piotr Zielinski, and Francesco Pio Esposito are unavailable for selection. Moreover, fatigue has ruled exit-linked Davide Frattesi out of this meeting.

Per Sky Italia, Mehdi Taremi is still unable to leave Tehran amid an ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.

CF Monterrey vs Inter Potential Starting Line-ups

CF Monterrey (4-2-3-1): Andrada; Medina, Rodriguez, Ramos, Arteaga; Ambriz, Chavez; Torres, Canales, Corona; Berterame.

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Sucic, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez.

CF Monterrey vs Inter Prediction

Inter head into proceedings as favorites but would be naive to underestimate Torrent’s side. With a wealth of experience provided by Sergio Ramos and other former European stars, Monterrey could give the injury-plagued Nerazzurri a run for their money.