MILAN – Among the many high-profile fixtures on Inter's Summer Tour 2016 presented by Pirelli, the contest on Wednesday 27 July against Estudiantes stands out in particular.
The match against the La Plata-based club – whose president is Juan Sebastian Veron and coach is another former Inter player Nelson Vivas – will get under way at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey at 20:00 local time.
Looking through the pages of Nerazzurri history, there are a number of fantastic memories from encounters against sides from Argentina. Fresh from their European Cup win in 1964, Inter faced Independiente in a two-legged tie for the Intercontinental Cup.
The first leg was held on 9 September in Avellaneda, where the home team managed by Manuel Giudice ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a goal from Mario Rodriguez Varela. The second leg was played a fortnight later at San Siro and saw Helenio Herrera's unit level up the contest with goals from Sandro Mazzola and Mario Corso.
With one win apiece, a third game was necessary to determine the overall winner. The stage was the Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu this time, three days later, and the decisive moment came in extra time when Corso's left-footed strike allowed the Nerazzurri to assume the title of World Champions for the first time in their history.
The two clubs only had to wait 12 months before meeting again in the 1965 edition of the trophy, with the first leg played at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on 8 September. Inter outclassed the Argentines this time, ending up 3-0 winners thanks to a strike from Joaquin Peiro and two from Mazzola, including a spectacular overhead kick. The Nerazzurri played out a goalless draw one week later in Buenos Aires to lift the Intercontinental Cup for the second year running, penning some of the most glorious pages in the club's history at the same time.
Nevertheless, you need to go even further back for the first time an Inter side crossed paths with Argentine opponents: Inter hosted the national team in Milan on 28 June 1961 in a warm-up game for the following summer's World Cup in Chile. The friendly finished 1-1, Nerazzurri forward Egidio Morbello cancelling out Carlos Griguol's first-half opener.
The only previous time Inter have faced Estudiantes was on 20 October 1968, when Alfredo Foni's Nerazzurri defeated the freshly crowned World Champions in a friendly at San Siro. Dino Spadetto and Giovanni Vastola got the goals in a 2-1 final scoreline.
On 27 July, almost 50 years on from their last meeting, the two clubs will face each other in the stunning surroundings of the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
This one is not to be missed! Head here for all the ticketing information on the game.
