This match took place just over two weeks after Inter Milan lost 0-5 to PSG in the UEFA Champions League final. This is the loss with the largest score difference in the history of the tournament final.
The defeat in Munich came in the context that Inter Milan also finished second in Serie A, losing to Napoli by exactly 1 point in the championship race. These unfortunate failures are part of the reason why coach Simone Inzaghi left the team, coming to Al Hilal. After that, Chivu was the successor to lead Inter Milan.
According to Chivu, the Club World Cup is an opportunity for the Italian team to turn to a new page. He said: "You should not think about the past. There is nothing we can do about the past. You can't change the past.
This is the end of the 2024-2025 season and this is a tournament that you need to respect. Inter came here and needed to show the best possible version of themselves.
We should not try to find reasons or excuses for our physical or mental state. We are ready. We have worked very hard in the past few days. We tried to create a unified team and physical comfort to be able to have a good performance.
Chivu, a Romania international, is a former Inter Milan player. He played for the club from 2007 to 2014, winning a historic treble with the team in the 2009-10 season. In addition, that year, Inter Milan also won the FIFA Club World Cup.
Monterrey is a very successful club in Mexico. Their squad includes Sergio Ramos, a former famous centre-back of Real Madrid and Spain. Ramos joined Monterrey in early 2025.
Ramos said: "We have a lot of respect for Inter. Obviously they have many excellent players, they are rated much higher than us. But this is also an opportunity for Monterrey. We will face all opponents and will play our best.
In Group E, Inter will also face Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan and River Plate of Argentina.
The Inter Milan vs Monterrey match will take place at 8:00 a.m. on June 18.
