Inter to Face Real Betis in Final Friendly Before the Season

Italian club Inter are preparing to play their final friendly before the new 2026/2027 season. According to Goal.com, the team will face Spanish side Real Betis today at the San Nicola Stadium in Bari. The match will be important for head coach Cristian Chivu to identify the final weaknesses in the squad and assess the players’ fitness before competitive football begins. This was reported by Goal.com .

Inter’s official season opener is just one week away. The team will play their first Serie A match at home against Monza on Saturday, August 23. The San Siro clash is expected to be the Nerazzurri’s first major test of the league campaign. Therefore, today’s friendly against Real Betis is the coaching staff’s final opportunity to finalize the starting lineup and tactical plans.

Squad Changes and Key Focus

Reports suggest that head coach Cristian Chivu is expected to field the starting lineup planned for the match against Monza. However, the team’s new signing Spence will not be able to play despite being officially announced yesterday. Striker Thuram has also not yet reached peak fitness, so the coaching staff have decided to protect him.

The main focus will be on the fitness of Stones and Lautaro, two players who have yet to make an appearance. Both footballers will start the match on the bench. This is considered part of their gradual return to the starting lineup.

Official Lineups and Squad Lists

Both coaches have selected their preferred lineups for the match. The hosts, Inter, are expected to play in a 3-5-2 formation:

• Inter Starting XI: J. Martinez; Bisseck, Bovio, Bastoni; Diouf, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Carlos Augusto; Esposito, Bonny.
• Inter Substitutes: Di Gennaro, Provedel, Stankovic, Stones, Sucic, Lautaro, Luis Henrique, Mkhitarian, Akanji, Pavard, Dimarco, Iddrissou.

The Spanish side Real Betis are expected to use a 4-2-3-1 formation:

• Real Betis Starting XI: Valles; Bellerin, Bartra, Natan, Fran García; Facundo Bernal, Marc Roca; Antony, Fornals, Riquelme; Hernandez.
• Real Betis Substitutes: Manu Gonzalez, D. Llorente, Iker, Fidalgo, V. Gomez, Deossa, Isco, Junior Firpo, Pablo Garcia, Bouaré, Ortiz.

The match, which will kick off at 19:30 local time at Bari’s San Nicola Stadium, will give both teams a final chance to draw tactical conclusions before the new season. Every movement on the pitch and the players’ condition will be closely watched by fans and experts ahead of next week’s competitive fixtures.