A flick through the annals reveals it will be 60 years in September since Inter Milan last played a team from Central or South America in an official fixture.

Back then, Helenio Herrera’s team trounced Independiente 3-0 on aggregate to retain the Intercontinental Cup they had won against the same opponent 12 months earlier.

Ahead of Inter’s latest global adventure, Cristian Chivu is determined to consign their historic thrashing at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain to the history books as quickly as possible.

“We need to show the best possible version of Inter in this tournament,” the Romanian said ahead of Inter’s Club World Cup debut against Monterrey on Wednesday morning.

“The standard this group has consistently achieved over the past few seasons, there are no excuses – neither physical nor mental. 

“We are ready. And we mustn’t dwell on the past, because we can’t change that.”

It is less than a month since the Beneamata were vanquished 5-0 in Munich by Luis Enrique’s side, the final and biggest nail in the coffin of their Treble dreams.

Defeats of such proportions cannot be brushed off and in Inter’s case it marked the end of an era, with Simone Inzaghi departing for Saudi Arabia after six trophies in four seasons.

While CEO and president Beppe Marotta insisted Chivu was “made in Inter,” he remains a curious choice as replacement for one of the best managers in European football over the past five years.

A Treble winner under Jose Mourinho in 2010, Chivu spent six seasons at the San Siro as a player before managing their youth teams from Under-14 all the way up through the age groups.

He left Inter in February to replace Fabio Pecchia at Parma and won 16 points in 13 games to keep them in Serie A.

Chivu’s limited managerial experience at the top level would have made him a risky appointment at the best of times, even more so considering the circumstances he finds himself in.

The feeling this season was that the Nerazzurri were reaching the end of their cycle and Inzaghi’s departure only accelerated the process.

Up until April, Inter looked on course to repeat Mourinho’s historic Triplete, only to end up empty handed. A day of reckoning for the Nerazzurri’s grizzly band of veterans beckons.  

For the time being, however, it appears it would be a case of evolution rather than revolution under Chivu, who has hinted they will stick with Inzaghi’s preferred 3-5-2 formation in the USA.

FIFA’s latest jamboree has been ridiculed as a commercial gimmick in some quarters, a stance the new Inter manager does not agree with.

“We are treating this Club World Cup as an important tournament,” he said. “Going all the way? I believe we need the humility to understand and approach it one game at a time. For now, our focus is on the group stage, and then we’ll see.”

Who are Inter’s opponents?

Inter are in Group E along with Mexican outfit Monterrey, Argentine juggernaut River Plate and Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds, the 2023 Asian Champions League winners.

Despite the debacle against PSG last month, Inter head into the Club World Cup as clear favourites to top the group with River likely to be their main rivals.

Los Milionarios qualified for the tournament through their ranking by CONMEBOL – UEFA’s South American equivalent – and arrived in the USA on the back of an unbeaten run in the Copa Libertadores.

River topped their group with three wins and three draws and will face Paraguay’s Libertad in the round of 16 in August.

They also lost just once in 16 matches to finish second in their section of the Argentine Apertura championship, but were knocked out on penalties in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Platense.

With former West Ham star Manuel Lanzini, German Pezzella and Gonzalo Montiel, in the ranks Marcelo Gallardo has a talented squad at his disposal, which still includes teenage starlet Franco Mastantuono, who is set to join Real Madrid after the tournament.

Monterrey, Inter’s first opponents, reached the Club World Cup after winning the CONCACAF Champions League in 2021.

If 39-year-old Sergio Ramos is the most recognisable name in the squad, keep an eye out for German Berterame, who has scored 22 goals in 41 games in all competitions this season for the Mexican side.

Monterrey finished seventh in the Liga MX Clausura tournament, qualifying for the play-offs where they were knocked out by eventual champions Toluca by virtue of finishing lower than their rivals in the regular season.

Urawa Red Diamonds, meanwhile, have not won the J-League in 19 years and finished 13th out of 20 teams in their domestic league last term.

When do Inter play?

Inter open their campaign at 2am on Wednesday (UK time) against Monterrey at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the stage of the 1994 World Cup final.

Their second fixture is against Urawa Red Diamonds in Seattle on June 21 at 8pm, before they take on River in Seattle next Thursday at 2am.

Have Inter made any new signings ahead of the Club World Cup?

Inter have been fairly busy in the mini transfer window ahead of the tournament, signing Marseille wide midfielder Luis Henrique for €23m (£19.5m) and Dinamo Zagreb defensive midfielder Petar Sucic for €14m (£11.9m).

Fresh from scoring 19 goals with Spezia in Serie B, meanwhile, Francesco Pio Esposito has returned from his loan spell along with his brother Salvatore.