Manchester City face Inter Milan at the newly redeveloped Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong on Saturday kicking off at 7.30pm local time (12.30pm BST), in a repeat of the 2023 Champions League final. The sides meet for the Asahi Super Dry Trophy as part of the Hong Kong Football Festival, although both arrive with significantly weakened squads following the summer's World Cup.
City finished second in the Premier League last season on 78 points behind Arsenal, backed by strong underlying numbers that saw them average 1.78 xG and 1.12 xGA at home, while their home xPTS total of 35.46 ranked third in the division.
Inter Milan lifted their 21st Serie A title after collecting 87 points with a record of W27-D6-L5, finishing 11 clear of Napoli. Cristian Chivu has since replaced Simone Inzaghi in the dugout, inheriting a side whose title-winning campaign combined elite chance creation with outstanding finishing.
Inter outperformed their xPTS by 10 points, scored 16.8 more goals than expected, netted a league-high 89 goals, created 147 big chances and kept 18 clean sheets, illustrating why they were deserved champions despite some attacking overperformance.
This is also the beginning of a new era at Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's decade-long spell in charge has come to an end, with Enzo Maresca taking over after his stint at Chelsea. His first squad has been heavily affected by World Cup absences.
British record signing Elliot Anderson is unavailable after England's run deep into the tournament, while Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki have also been given additional time off following their international commitments.
The confirmed 28-man travelling squad still contains plenty of senior quality, including Gianluigi Donnarumma, Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Abdukodir Khusanov, Antoine Semenyo and Phil Foden, but it is supplemented by a large number of academy and Elite Development Squad players.
Jack Grealish has been left out of the travelling squad as he continues his recovery from the foot injury that ended his Everton loan spell. With his contract entering its final year and no new deal agreed, his long-term future at the club remains uncertain.
Kalvin Phillips is another notable omission after an unsuccessful loan at Sheffield United, with City expected to listen to offers this summer. John Stones has also been heavily linked with a move to Inter Milan after a decade at Manchester City, although the transfer has yet to be confirmed. If completed, he would reunite with former City teammate Manuel Akanji in Italy, but he is not expected to feature in this fixture regardless.
Inter opened their preseason campaign with a 2-1 victory over Karlsruher SC at the BBBank Wildpark last Sunday. Andy Diouf scored twice in stoppage time to complete the comeback after Cristian Chivu handed starts to teenagers Mattia Marello and Jamal Iddrissou.
Diouf insisted afterwards he was taking preseason “one step at a time”, while Chivu used the fixture to assess several academy prospects. Like City, Inter are expected to be without most of their World Cup players after they were granted extended breaks following the tournament, meaning several younger players are likely to receive another opportunity.
How the bookies view it
At the time of writing there are no odds available for this fixture.
Head to head: City hold a slight edge
These sides have met twice in the past three seasons. Manchester City won the 2023 Champions League final thanks to Rodri's second-half goal in Istanbul, before the clubs played out a goalless draw in the Champions League league phase the following campaign.
Player to watch: Foden to rediscover previous form?
Phil Foden is one of the biggest beneficiaries of Manchester City's World Cup absences. With Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and several other attacking options unavailable, he looks set to shoulder much of the creative responsibility in Enzo Maresca's first match in charge.
Foden finished last season with seven goals and five assists from 23 starts across 33 appearances. He also registered 55 shots, 19 efforts on target and remained one of City's most dangerous players whenever selected, despite seeing much of his football in the second half of the campaign come from the bench.
Predicted line ups
Manchester City (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Khusanov, Gvardiol, Vitor Reis, Ait-Nouri; Kovacic, Reijnders, Rico Lewis; Savinho, Semenyo, Foden.
Inter Milan (3-5-2): J. Martinez; Bisseck, Bovio, Carlos Augusto; Luis Henrique, Barella, Stankovic, Mkhitaryan, Marello; Esposito, Iddrissou.
Anything else catch the eye?
This is one of the more interesting preseason fixtures of the summer because both clubs begin life under new management, but the available squads appear to favour Inter Milan.
Nicolo Barella and Henrikh Mkhitaryan provide proven senior quality through the middle of the pitch, while Andy Diouf has already made an encouraging start to preseason. Manchester City's travelling party still contains plenty of established names, but there is a much greater reliance on academy players around Phil Foden, Mateo Kovacic, Tijjani Reijnders and Gianluigi Donnarumma than supporters would normally expect.
If the market is priced on the clubs' reputations rather than the players actually available in Hong Kong, there could be value on Inter Milan. Team news will remain crucial, but based on the squads currently expected to feature, Inter look the stronger side heading into Maresca's first game in charge.
Manchester City vs Inter Milan Betting Tips & Predictions
Further Reading
- Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur Prediction and Betting Tips – 2026-08-01
- Arsenal vs Girona Prediction and Betting Tips – 2026-08-01
- Manchester United vs Atletico Madrid Prediction and Betting Tips – 2026-08-01
- Hamburg vs Everton Prediction and Betting Tips – 2026-08-01
- Sporting vs Nottingham Forest Prediction and Betting Tips – 2026-07-31
GambleAware