Manchester City vs Inter Milan - prediction, team news, lineups

Enzo Maresca's reign gets nether mode connected Saturday, erstwhile Manchester City conscionable Italian giants Inter Milan for a pre-season affable successful Hong Kong.

The 2023 Champions League finalists volition clash again astatine Kai Tak Sports Park successful Kowloon, arsenic City commencement their post-Pep Guardiola era.

Match preview

Handed the formidable task of taking implicit from his mentor, Maresca was selected to win Man City's astir legendary manager, who departed aft a decennary packed with success.

After City secured a cupful treble but failed to regain the Premier League rubric past season, they volition lukewarm up for the upcoming 2026-27 run with a three-match travel to Asia.

Maresca's men look Inter this weekend, earlier playing a K-League All Stars XI and Atletico Madrid successful Seoul adjacent week, and immoderate younger squad members should beryllium fixed an aboriginal accidental to impress.

World Cup stars specified arsenic Marc Guehi and Erling Haaland are inactive connected holiday, meaning respective cardinal men volition lone instrumentality conscionable up of the FA Community Shield clash with Arsenal connected August 16.

So, an unfamiliar lineup could beryllium acceptable to conscionable Inter, who Guardiola and co memorably conquered successful the 2023 Champions League final.

While City missed retired connected their main targets, Inter yet enjoyed a palmy 2025-26 campaign, reclaiming their crown arsenic Serie A champions.

Despite suffering a dismal aboriginal exit from Europe, Inter clinched some home trophies for the archetypal clip since 2010 by adding a 10th Coppa Italia to their 21st Scudetto. 

The Nerazzurri swept speech each challengers to decorativeness 11 points wide of distant runners-up Napoli, rattling successful extremity aft extremity en way to the league title. 

While starting the process of a large squad rebuild, Cristian Chivu's archetypal twelvemonth arsenic caput manager proved a sizeable success, and his squad are favourites to apical the array again.

Now gathering towards an opening crippled against recently promoted Monza connected August 22, Inter started pre-season by thrashing small SV Aasen 16-0 during their grooming campy successful Germany. 

Then, erstwhile seemingly bound for defeat, Chivu's broadside someway beat Karlsruher 2-1 successful their 2nd summertime friendly, with Andy Diouf bagging a precocious brace wrong second-half stoppage time.

Tougher tests await: aft gathering Man City, the Nerazzurri indispensable look down home rivals AC Milan and Juventus successful Australia earlier competitory enactment gets backmost nether way.

Inter Milan pre-season form:

W W

Team News

Maresca selected a 28-man squad for Man City's little Asian tour, minus immoderate players who featured successful the World Cup quarter-finals oregon beyond. 

As a result, Haaland, Guehi, Nico O'Reilly, Jeremy Doku, Rayan Cherki and big-money bargain Elliot Anderson are each unavailable, arsenic is Golden Ball victor and Real Madrid people Rodri. 

While the second is sidelined pursuing backmost surgery, Jack Grealish continues his betterment from a ft injury sustained portion connected indebtedness astatine Everton past season.

Among respective youngsters hoping to marque their people are summertime signing Jeremy Monga, England Under-21s striker Divin Mubamba and teenage winger Ryan McAidoo.

Of course, John Stones has yet near Manchester aft a aureate spell astatine the Etihad; though the England defender is acceptable to motion for Inter, helium presently remains connected holiday.

Chivu has already secured Aleksandar Stankovic, who was re-signed from Club Brugge aft an awesome 2025-26 campaign, and Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel. The second volition vie with Josep Martinez to go the Nerazzurri's caller fig one, aft Swiss seasoned Yann Sommer departed. 

Inter are besides missing a fig of elder players post-World Cup - specified arsenic skipper Lautaro Martinez - truthful Mattia Marello, Leonardo Bovio and Jamal Iddrissou each started against Karlsruher.

A imaginable replacement for Real Madrid-bound Denzel Dumfries connected the close wing, Diouf has scored doubly successful some pre-season contests truthful far.

Manchester City imaginable starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Lewis, Reis, Khusanov, Ait-Nouri; Gonzalez; Savinho, Reijnders, Foden, Monga; Mubamba

Inter Milan imaginable starting lineup:

Martinez; Bisseck, Bovio, Augusto; Diouf, Barella, Zielinski, Stankovic, Dimarco; Iddrissou, Esposito

We say: Manchester City 1-2 Inter Milan 

In different circumstances, Man City should person the borderline implicit Inter, but the Scudetto holders are deeper into their pre-season docket and volition payment from greater match-fitness.

A front-footed squad nether Chivu, they tin instrumentality the crippled to a youthful City broadside and grounds different warm-up win.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.