Their recent form has been less convincing—they exited last season’s Clausura in the quarterfinals on away goals to Toluca and fell short in the Champions Cup against Vancouver Whitecaps.
Those stumbles led to the dismissal of Argentine coach Martin Demichelis. In his place comes Domenec Torrent, former assistant to Pep Guardiola at Barcelona and Manchester City.
While Torrent struggled during previous stints with Galatasaray and Flamengo, he now leads a talented Monterrey squad stacked with experienced La Liga alumni and Latin American internationals.
The team is confident they can progress from Group E.
Inter enters their opening match with serious problems up front. All three of last season’s backup strikers are unavailable.
Joaquin Correa and Marko Arnautovic have left on free transfers, while Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi is stuck in Tehran due to geopolitical tensions, unable to enter the U.S. as he was attending an award ceremony as Iran’s Player of the Year.
Midfielder Piotr Zielinski is also doubtful with a calf injury.
These absences may open the door for young talents like Sebastiano and Francesco Pio Esposito, as well as newcomers Petar Sucic and Luis Henrique.
Unless Chivu opts for heavy rotation, Inter will likely stick with the familiar 3-5-2 system featuring Marcus Thuram and captain Lautaro Martinez up front.
Lautaro netted 22 goals last season but struggled late in the campaign due to a thigh injury.
Monterrey, meanwhile, will rely on Argentine-born striker German Berterame, who bagged 20 goals in Liga MX last season.
Now a Mexican international, Berterame will lead the line for a side featuring familiar names like Sergio Canales, Oliver Torres, Lucas Ocampos, and veteran defender Sergio Ramos.
The 39-year-old Ramos, a four-time Club World Cup winner, is back from injury and expected to marshal the backline. However, Carlos Salcedo remains sidelined long-term.
Canales, a dead-ball specialist, has tallied 31 goals and 16 assists over the past two seasons and will team up with veteran winger Jesus Corona to provide service for Berterame.
Lineups: