Preview:Inter Milan vs Torino - prediction, team news, lineups

Seeking redemption for last season's late meltdown, Inter Milan kick off their quest to regain the Serie A title on Monday, when they meet Torino at San Siro.

Inter ended up empty-handed at the end of a highly promising 2024-25 campaign, so they will now aim to start quickly against another club under new management.

Match preview

Having let several trophies slip through their grasp at the end of last term - and in particularly painful fashion - Inter soon parted ways with Simone Inzaghi, who had done much to establish them as Italy's top team.

The Nerazzurri first limped out of the Coppa Italia semi-finals to city rivals AC Milan, before losing the Scudetto to Napoli by one point in a dramatic Serie A finale; then came their Champions League final evisceration at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, which led an exhausted Inzaghi to walk.

Turned down by Como's Cesc Fabregas and ex-Inter star Patrick Vieira, the board then plumped for Cristian Chivu, one of the club's 2010 treble-winners and a former youth coach who guided Parma to safety last season.

An inexperienced manager, with just a few senior games under his belt, Chivu had the chance to use this summer's Club World Cup as a launchpad for renewal and to start healing some psychological scars.

After coming through the group stage unbeaten, Inter lost 2-0 to Fluminense in the last 16 before taking a much-needed break; they resumed with a shortened pre-season earlier this month, winning all three of their friendlies.

The competitive action now starts, as the Nerazzurri host their favourite opponents: they have won 11 of their last 12 league meetings with Torino, and each of the last six by a 12-2 aggregate score.

Not only will Torino be seeking their first Serie A win over Inter since the start of 2019, but they are also winless in 18 league visits to San Siro - including games against Milan.

Albeit with much less at stake than Monday's hosts, Toro also tapered off towards the end of last season, missing out on a top-half place after finishing with just one win from their final nine matches.

Overtaken by ambitious upstarts Como, a 2-0 home loss to Roma proved to be Paolo Vanoli's last game in charge, and ex-Lazio boss Marco Baroni has been brought in as his successor.

While long-term target Giovanni Simeone has finally arrived - and will provide competition for Scotland striker Che Adams - the Granata have since lost several players, including key midfielder Samuele Ricci to Milan.

Following back-to-back defeats at the end of pre-season, Baroni's men kicked off their 2025-26 campaign with a Coppa Italia tie last week, when Nikola Vlasic scored the winning goal against Modena.

That set up a second-round tie versus Pisa in late September, but first Torino must face Inter, Fiorentina, Roma and Atalanta BC amid a tough start to their Serie A schedule.

Inter Milan pre-season form: W W W

Torino form (all competitions): W

Team News

Aside from losing their manager, Inter have retained key personnel this summer, so a familiar XI will line up on Monday evening - albeit, Hakan Calhanoglu must serve a suspension.

Luiz Henrique, French forward Ange-Yoan Bonny - who followed Cristian Chivu from Parma - and midfield duo Andy Diouf and Petar Sucic have all arrived to freshen up an ageing squad.

Yet, Yann Sommer should still start behind a vastly experienced back three, while captain Lautaro Martinez again joins Marcus Thuram up front: the latter has scored four league goals against Torino to date, including his only career hat-trick.

Thuram top-scored for Inter last term, and Toro were led by Che Adams, who finished his first Serie A campaign with nine goals.

Following a long layoff, Duvan Zapata is now ready to challenge Adams for selection, alongside Giovanni Simeone, so Marco Baroni has plenty of attacking options to choose from.

The Granata are still missing long-term absentee Perr Schuurs, while summer signing Ardian Ismajli is sidelined by a thigh injury, but Baroni can call upon fellow new boys Tino Anjorin, Zakaria Aboukhlal and Cyril Ngonge.

The latter joined on loan from Napoli, while Vanja Milinkovic-Savic went the other way - Franco Israel is the Serbian goalkeeper's replacement.

Inter Milan possible starting lineup: Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Sucic, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez

Torino possible starting lineup: Israel; Pedersen, Coco, Maripan, Biraghi; Anjorin, Casadei; Ngonge, Vlasic, Aboukhlal; Adams