{
  "id": 2503019,
  "title": "Inter Milan vs Monza – Match preview and team news",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/inter-milan-vs-monza-match-preview-and-team-news",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-22T05:05:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/inter-milan-vs-monza-match-050500422.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Inter Milan is set to commence their new Serie A season against Monza on Saturday at San Siro. The reigning Italian champions aim to start their campaign on a positive note and continue their impressive pre-season performance. The match is scheduled for 5:30pm BST at San Siro in Milan.\n\nInter Milan enters the opening league fixture with a nearly complete squad under head coach Cristian Chivu. The team is largely free of injuries, providing the manager with tactical flexibility for their Scudetto defense. However, the Nerazzurri face a notable squad gap with experienced midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan serving a disciplinary suspension. The significant defensive overhaul from the previous season is bolstered by the arrival of John Stones and Manuel Akanji in central defense, taking over from Francesco Acerbi and Stefan de Vrij. Lautaro Martínez is set to lead the attack, with potential contributions from Francesco Pio Esposito.\n\nMonza, on the other hand, face a heavily depleted squad as they return to the top-flight. Club captain Matteo Pessina is ruled out for four months due to a severe knee injury, creating a critical void in their central midfield. The Biancorossi are also without Dany Mota and goalkeeper Demba Thiam due to suspensions. To compensate for these losses, Ivan Jurić's team will rely on fresh faces and temporary reinforcements. Ebenezer Akinsanmiro, a midfield loanee from Inter Milan, is expected to step into Pessina's role, while Patrick Cutrone and Gustavo Varela will spearhead the attacking lineup.\n\nInter Milan finished their summer pre-season unbeaten, with high-profile wins against Manchester City, AC Milan, and Juventus, followed by a 1-0 victory over Real Betis. Monza, while having mixed recent form, arrived with high motivation after securing their promotion back to Serie A. They demonstrated their form in a 2-0 friendly win over Galatasaray and a dominant 3-1 victory over Avellino in the Coppa Italia. The predicted lineups for the match include an Inter Milan starting XI of J. Martinez, Akanji, Stones, Bastoni, Diouf, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Dimarco, Esposito, and L. Martinez, while Monza will field Pizzignacco, Kouadio, Delli Carri, Carboni, Birindelli, Akinsanmiro, Colombo, Mangas, Colpani, Cutrone, and Varela. The match can be watched live on DAZN in the UK.",
  "summary": "Inter Milan is set to begin their new Serie A campaign against Monza on Saturday at their home ground San Siro.Cristian Chivu’s men will be eager to start their campaign on a positive note and conti...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Everton vs Crystal Palace – Match preview and team news",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/everton-vs-crystal-palace-match-preview-and-team-news",
        "published": "2026-08-22T05:05:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}