At 00:30 on August 18, the first round of the new Serie A season will see Genoa hosting Inter Milan at the Ferraris Stadium.
The summer transfer window saw significant moves from other Serie A giants such as AC Milan, Juventus, and Napoli, but Inter Milan remained relatively quiet, with their two major signings (Taremi, Zielinski) having been secured back in January. Although they reportedly spent 63.5 million euros on transfers, the main expenses were for securing players who had already played for them last season (like Frattesi), without selling any key players, aiming for stability. Italian media pointed out that this is because Inter Milan hopes to leverage their “cohesion advantage” to secure a strong start. Other strong teams are undergoing changes in management, squad composition, and formations, which may lead to early-season adjustment issues. With a more mature system, Inter Milan aims to capitalize on the early stages to build an advantage in points. In the opening match, Inter Milan will undoubtedly strive for victory.
Genoa lost key players like Retegui and their starting goalkeeper during the summer window, bringing in over 40 million euros. In terms of signings, the team spent more than 20 million euros to secure the permanent moves of loan players like Vitinha and Dwent, while also scouting some promising young talents from the youth ranks of teams like Napoli and Arsenal. Ahead of this game, Genoa announced the signing of striker Pinamonti, though it remains uncertain whether he will be registered in time.
In terms of form, Inter Milan won three consecutive games at the beginning of their summer training, but then went winless in their next three pre-season friendlies, drawing 1-1 with Pisa, losing 0-2 to Al Ittihad, and drawing 1-1 with Chelsea. Genoa, on the other hand, has shown excellent form recently, winning 3 out of 4 pre-season matches, with a notable 2-1 victory over Monaco, and advancing to the next round of the Coppa Italia with a 1-0 win.
Regarding head-to-head records, in the past five years, Inter Milan has maintained an unbeaten record against Genoa with 8 wins and 2 draws in 10 encounters, showing a clear advantage. However, the last two visits by Inter Milan to the Ferraris Stadium ended in draws, 0-0 and 1-1.
In terms of player availability, both teams have some absentees. For Genoa, Ekuaban (forward), Maturo (defender), Makandaali (defender), and David Angi (forward) are sidelined due to injuries. Inter Milan will be without De Vrij, Zielinski, and Buchanan. Aslani’s timely return means he can at least take a place on the bench, while new signing Taremi, after recovering from injury, has shown good form in training and is eager to make his official debut for Inter Milan, having scored 5 goals in pre-season.
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