Having made a strong start to their title defence, reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan return from the international break on Sunday evening, as they meet Monza.

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After starting their quest to retain the Scudetto with a draw in Genoa, Inter then stepped up a gear in their two subsequent matches before international football intervened.

One week after beating Lecce 2-0, the Nerazzurri stormed into an early two-goal lead against Atalanta at San Siro, and a second-half brace from France forward Marcus Thuram saw them stroll to an unexpectedly straightforward 4-0 win.

Last season, Inter remained unbeaten against all of their main rivals en route to the title, and having continued in that vein versus La Dea, they will now aim to get back into the groove when away from their second-city headquarters.

A streak of seven consecutive away wins helped them pull clear of the pack last term, but Simone Inzaghi's side have since won only one of their last four away matches - and after making the short trip to Monza, they will be truly put to the test in England.

Manchester City are Inter's opening Champions League opponents next Wednesday, just four days ahead of the season's first Milan derby.

Before such a seismic few days for the Italian champions, they will try to maintain their unbeaten record at U-Power Stadium, where a total of 10 goals have been shared in two previous top-flight visits to their neighbours.

Including a couple of defeats to Inter last season, Monza have lost six of their last seven Serie A games against opponents from their home region, Lombardy.

The sole exception was a shock win over AC Milan in February, and the Biancorossi have conceded an average of 3.1 goals per game during that time.

More pertinently, Monza's failure to get three points over the line against Fiorentina last time out means they are now without a win in their last 12 league matches - the longest run of any team currently in Italy's top tier.

They have failed to score in half of those fixtures, highlighting a significant issue for new boss Alessandro Nesta to resolve if he is to meet the club's ambition of another mid-table finish.

Though Nesta's men scored twice against Fiorentina - before letting that lead slip and conceding a 96th-minute equaliser - they have still attempted the fewest shots (19) in Serie A this season and rely heavily on veteran striker Milan Djuric to find the net.

Player injuries:

Monza

Player’s reason for absence

1 (Goalkeeper) Kragueno shoulder injury

84 (right midfielder) Shulia meniscus injury

19 (Right Back) Bill Lindley Unknown Injury

Inter Milan

Player’s reason for absence

17 (Forward) Buchanan tibia fracture

possible starting lineup: