Venezia-Inter, the Stankovic challenge: Filip in the starting lineup against his brother Aleksandar

Venezia-Inter will also be the match of the Stankovic brothers. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, at the Penzo stadium there will be a family challenge within the challenge: on one side Filip, born in 2002, ready to repeat himself after his performance against Napoli, on the other Aleksandar, three years younger, who should finally get his first start with the Nerazzurri jersey.

“A debut straight out of a storybook, against his big brother’s team: maybe this two-month wait had a meaning,” reads the pink newspaper. La Gazzetta also recalls the details of their shared story: the two arrange to meet on their days off, and Filip was present when Aleksandar went to the Nerazzurri offices during the summer to sign his contract with Inter. With them was also Stefan, the third brother, who stopped playing at 17 after also being part of the Nerazzurri youth academy.

“This is also why Venezia-Inter is the match of a lifetime: the Stankovics have dreamed of it since they committed to building a career away from Milan,” writes the sports daily. However, the two contractual situations are very different. Filip now belongs to Venezia: the lagoon club redeemed him for 1.5 million euros in June, then extended his contract until 2030 last summer and granted Inter 50% of any future resale.

For Aleksandar, on the other hand, the goal is to climb back up the ranks to avoid another transfer. After being sold and then bought back from Bruges, he returned to the club that developed him, and is looking for playing time and consistency. The match against Venezia could represent a new starting point.