Manchester City v Inter Milan: Maresca’s New Era Begins in Hong Kong

The Enzo Maresca era begins a long way from the Etihad, under the glare of the Hong Kong sun and with a Manchester City side that barely resembles the one that lifted trophies last season.

On Saturday at Kai Tak Sports Park in Kowloon City, a threadbare City squad meets an Inter Milan group that, while also short of stars, carries far more first‑team muscle into this pre-season test. Kick-off is 12:30pm BST, but this is less about the time on the clock and more about where both clubs stand in their summer reset.

Maresca starts with kids, absences, and opportunity

Maresca’s first match in charge comes with a caveat the size of a World Cup. An extended post-tournament break has stripped him of almost all his headline acts.

Erling Haaland, Marc Guéhi, Jérémy Doku, Rayan Cherki, Nico O’Reilly and new signing Elliot Anderson are all still away. Rúben Dias, Matheus Nunes and Omar Marmoush are due to join the tour later, so this game comes too soon for them as well.

Then come the injuries. Rodri is recovering from minor back surgery, Jack Grealish is back in Manchester nursing a foot problem. Kalvin Phillips has stayed at home with a loan move looming, while John Stones has already swapped sky blue for black and blue, completing his move to Inter.

What’s left is a skeleton of senior quality wrapped around a core of academy hopefuls. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Rico Lewis, Joško Gvardiol, Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden are expected to provide the experience, but the rest is a glimpse into City’s future rather than a reflection of their present.

For Maresca, that might be no bad thing. Pre-season often drifts; this one has a sharp edge. Youngsters know chances like this rarely come when the stars are back and the stakes rise. Every touch in Hong Kong is a trial.

Inter bring momentum – and a harder edge

On the opposite bench, Cristian Chivu faces his own selection puzzle, but Inter arrive with a far clearer sense of themselves.

They closed last season strongly, unbeaten in their final four domestic fixtures and crowned Coppa Italia winners after a 2-0 victory over Lazio. They have already dipped a toe into this pre-season, beating Karlsruher SC 2-1, so the engine is running, not just being switched on.

Lautaro Martínez, the heartbeat and captain, is missing, along with several other internationals still on holiday after long World Cup campaigns. New signing John Stones will not meet his old club either; his summer break continues.

Yet Inter’s spine looks far more seasoned than City’s. Nicolò Barella, Piotr Zieliński, Federico Dimarco and Yann Bisseck are all in line to feature and will carry the tactical and emotional weight of the side. Around them, Chivu will drip-feed youth, with academy prospects Leonardo Bovio, Jamal Iddrussou and Francesco Pio Esposito travelling and pushing for minutes.

New arrivals Ivan Provedel and Aleksandar Stankovic are also in contention, adding fresh intrigue to a squad that already knows how to win tight games.

Form, such as it is

Trying to draw a straight line from last season’s endings to this pre-season opener is always risky, but the contrast is clear.

City finished with a split-screen: the high of a 1-0 FA Cup win over Chelsea, then a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in their final Premier League outing. That was under a different manager, with a different hierarchy, and with all the stars on stage. Today’s side, built around untested academy players, tells you little about what Maresca’s first competitive XI will look like.

Inter’s trajectory is cleaner. Coppa Italia in the bag, domestic form solid, and a winning start already logged this summer. They arrive with rhythm and a more settled core, even if their own big names are missing.

Momentum leans their way. Legs and energy might not.

Predicted lineups: kids in sky blue, balance in black and blue

The expected XIs underline the contrast.

• Manchester City (predicted): Donnarumma; Lewis, Reis, Khusanov, Ait-Nouri; Gonzalez; Savinho, Reijnders, Foden, Monga; Mubamba.
• Inter Milan (predicted): Martinez; Bisseck, Bovio, Augusto; Diouf, Barella, Zielinski, Stankovic, Dimarco; Iddrissou, Esposito.

Foden will be asked to do more than just sprinkle creativity. He becomes the reference point, the senior attacker in a side full of players still learning what it means to wear City colours in front of a global audience.

For Inter, Barella and Zieliński should dictate the tempo, with Dimarco raiding from the left and Esposito and Iddrissou given licence to test a makeshift City back line.

A friendly in name, a proving ground in reality

On paper, it’s a pre-season friendly in Asia, streamed back to the UK via CITY+. In reality, it’s something more layered.

For Maresca, this is the first live rehearsal of his ideas, even if the cast is incomplete. For a clutch of City youngsters, it’s a rare chance to jump the queue before the senior stars return. For Chivu and Inter, it’s a chance to extend their summer momentum against a club that has defined European standards in recent years.

The stakes aren’t trophies or points. They’re minutes, impressions, and first markers laid down in a season that hasn’t yet taken shape.

In Hong Kong, under a new manager and with a new hierarchy, Manchester City’s next chapter starts with kids, questions, and a heavyweight opponent ready to test how quickly they can grow up.