The National Times - Calm before derby storm for Inter as dark fan underbelly revealed

Italian champions Inter take on Monza hoping to maintain their early league lead but coach Simone Inzaghi is likely to rest some of his stars ahead of a much tougher trip to Manchester City in Europe's top club competition.

Wednesday's rematch of the 2023 final with City is the biggest of the revamped, eight-match league phase for Inter and comes days before the Milan derby.

Inzaghi's team won last season's Scudetto with five matches to spare by beating AC Milan, and Inzaghi will want all his first choice players fit for both City and next weekend which is a great chance to further hurt their local rivals.

Inter are top of Serie A on goals scored ahead of Juventus, who are at Empoli on Saturday evening before Milan host Venezia at the San Siro, and also level on seven points with Torino and Udinese.

Milan already trail Inter by five points and also have Tuesday's visit of Liverpool to contend with as a poor start has tested fans' faith with new coach Paulo Fonseca.

Tammy Abraham is set to start his first match for Milan alongside former Chelsea teammates Fikayo Tomori and Ruben Loftus-Cheek as Alvaro Morata recovers from a thigh injury picked up on the opening day of the campaign.

Meanwhile Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez should return to Milan's starting line-up after being dropped at Lazio, in the hope that both will be raring to go both against Venezia and Liverpool.

While everything looks rosy for Inter on the pitch the same cannot be said in the stands after the reputed heir of a powerful crime family was killed by one of the leaders of the club's hardcore "ultras".

Andrea Beretta, who himself had a long criminal record, stabbed to death Antonio Bellocco during an altercation outside a boxing gym in a Milan suburb last week.

Bellocco's death was a shock because of his reportedly high status within the 'Ndrangheta mafia, which has led to Beretta's family being placed under special surveillance by the police over fears of violent reprisals.

It also highlighted fears that mafia mobs were infiltrating ultra groups, attracted by the earnings some supporters organisations allegedly earn through illicit activities ranging from ticket touting to drug dealing.

Beretta took a leading role in the Curva Nord section of the San Siro after career criminal Vittorio Boiocchi was shot dead outside his home in October 2022.

Italian media widely reported at the time of his murder aged 69 that Boiocchi had bragged in wiretapped conversations about earning 80,000 euros ($88,000) a month through his position as ultra leader.

Player to watch: Ademola Lookman

The hat-trick hero of last season's historic Europa League victory, Lookman is yet to play for Atalanta this term after agitating for a summer transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.

However the Nigeria forward was on the bench as Atalanta got thumped at Inter Milan before the international break and is in line to feature against Fiorentina on Sunday, his team's first home match this campaign as the Gewiss Stadium rebuild finally nears completion.

And with Arsenal coming to Bergamo on Thursday in the Champions League, coach Gian Piero Gasperini will need all the firepower he has at his disposal for two big matches in front of an expectant home crowd.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Saturday

Como v Bologna (1300), Empoli v Juventus (1600), AC Milan v Venezia (1845)

Sunday

Genoa v Roma (1030), Atalanta v Fiorentina, Torino v Lecce (1300), Cagliari v Napoli (1600), Monza v Inter Milan (1845)

Monday

Parma v Udinese (1630), Lazio v Verona (1845)

W.Baxter--TNT