The Matchday 1 clash of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup between Monterrey (Mexico) and Inter (Italy) will be held on June 18 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, USA. Monterrey vs. Inter: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Monterrey
The club earned its spot in the FIFA Club World Cup as the winner of the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League. Monterrey will be participating in the Club World Cup for the sixth time, with their best achievement being third place on two occasions. In the recently concluded national championship, the team reached the quarterfinals of the playoffs. In this season's CONCACAF Champions League, the Mexican side was eliminated in the round of 16 by Vancouver.
Notably, Monterrey appointed a new head coach, Domenec Torrent, ahead of the Club World Cup. The team also signed goalkeeper Santiago Mele. The squad features experienced defender Sergio Ramos and forward German Berterame, who was Monterrey's top scorer this season with 22 goals across all competitions.
- At least three goals were scored in regular time in 6 of the team's last 7 matches in the Club World Cup.
- Both teams scored in 90 minutes in 6 of the last 7 matches in this tournament.
- Monterrey conceded exactly one or two goals in regular time in their last seven Club World Cup matches.
Predicted lineup for Monterrey (4-5-1)
Esteban Andrada – Ricardo Chavez, Jorge Rodriguez, Sergio Ramos, Gerardo Arteaga – Fidel Ambriz, Stefan Medina, Nelson Deossa, Sergio Canales, Roberto de la Rosa – German Berterame.
Inter
The Italians will participate in the Club World Cup due to their high ranking over the past four years in the UEFA classification. Inter will be playing in the Club World Cup for the second time, having won the tournament in 2010, where they defeated TP Mazembe from Congo 3-0 in the final. In the recently concluded season, the club finished second in the Italian championship and reached the UEFA Champions League final, where they lost to PSG (0-5).
Ahead of the Club World Cup, Inter appointed a new head coach, Cristian Chivu, replacing Simone Inzaghi. Additionally, forward Joaquin Correa left the team, with midfielders Luis Enrique Lima and Petar Sucic brought in as replacements. Notable in the lineup is forward Lautaro Martinez, who scored 22 goals across all competitions this season, making him the team's top scorer.
- The club has not lost in regular time in 8 of their last 9 UEFA Champions League matches (5 wins, 3 draws).
- At least three goals were scored in 90 minutes in six of the team's previous matches in this European competition.
- Both teams scored in regular time in 5 of Inter's last 6 UEFA Champions League matches.
Predicted lineup for Inter (3-5-2)
Yann Sommer – Benjamin Pavard, Stefan de Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni – Denzel Dumfries, Kristjan Asllani, Nicolo Barella, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco – Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez.
Defender Yann Bisseck will miss the match due to injury. Additionally, forward Marko Arnautovic did not travel for the Club World Cup, and his fellow forward Mehdi Taremi is yet to join the team after international duty with Iran.
Referee
Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
Matches – 6 (International matches, 2024–2025);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 25;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.2;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 33%.
Monterrey vs. Inter: Match Prediction
The Mexicans are experienced participants in the FIFA Club World Cup and have often shown their attacking prowess. Throughout their 11 matches in this tournament, Monterrey has failed to score in only one, against Al-Ahly Cairo. The club has faced European teams twice in the Club World Cup, against Liverpool and Chelsea, and scored in both encounters.
Inter boasts one of the strongest squads in the Club World Cup and has rarely faced issues in attack this season. On the international stage, the Italians have been prolific scorers. In their last nine UEFA Champions League matches, the team failed to score only against PSG, and in seven of these matches, they scored at least twice in regular time. However, Inter has not kept a clean sheet in their last six matches in this European competition.
I expect to see a high-scoring game from both teams, so my prediction: Both teams to score – yes
