Lugano vs Inter Milan

Inter Milan’s pre-season journey kicks off with a traditional summer friendly against Swiss side Lugano at the Stadio di Cornaredo this midweek.

Barring a narrow 1-0 defeat to German lower-league outfit Ingolstadt a fortnight ago, Lugano have been nothing short of impressive during their off-season tour. Mattia Croci-Torti’s men have won all three remaining summer friendlies by an aggregate score of 16-3. However, this will be their first pre-season match against top-tier opposition, and their bid to win has no leg to stand on. They have lost each of their five previous friendly clashes against Inter, conceding 2+ goals on four occasions. Though their last two outings have seen one side fail to get on the scoresheet in matches garnering under 2.5 goals, high scoring could be a theme here. Indeed, Lugano’s seven games preceding the abovementioned run had featured 3+ overall goals.

As for Inter Milan, last season’s runners-up finish in Serie A has forced the club to intervene in the transfer window early and bring Romelu Lukaku back to the club on a season-long loan. Despite surrendering the title over to fierce rivals AC Milan last season, ‘I Nerazzurri’ painted the tail-end of the 2021/22 campaign with flying colours. In addition to beating Juventus in the Coppa Italia showpiece, Simone Inzaghi’s men had won four consecutive league outings down the final stretch of last season, netting 2+ goals in each triumph. Interestingly, each of Inter’s five previous matches on hostile turf has featured 3+ goals and both teams scoring, highlighting the potential for an action-packed affair in Switzerland.