In a squad that seems mostly finalized, there is only one major doubt that accompanies Simone Inzaghi as he approaches Inter-Juventus. It concerns the position of the playmaker, a delicate role that could influence the outcome of the match.
Indeed, Inter will have to do without the injured Hakan Calhanoglu, after the Turkish player sustained a thigh strain during the early minutes of the match against Roma. The number 20 should return to the squad only for the match against Venezia on November 3, thus missing the matches against Juventus and Empoli.
At the Olympic Stadium, Inzaghi changed the playmaker midway through the match, handing over the reins to Nicolò Barella. The Sardinian started at the center against Young Boys, but in the second half Piotr Zielinski who also recovered from a muscle problem took the field, alternating with the former Cagliari player in that position.
This is an important clue, that according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, directs the decision for Inter-Juventus. Inzaghi’s first choice remains Kristjan Asllani, who suffered a knee sprain that made him miss Roma and Young Boys. A decision on the Albanian will be made today: if he manages to participate in at least a portion of the group training, then he will be the strong candidate to start as a first team player against Juventus. Otherwise, he will start on the bench.
If Asllani doesn’t start, the responsibility will fall to Piotr Zielinski. The former Napoli player would hence replace Calhanoglu, in a role that he usually plays with Poland. This would allow Barella to return to the right midfielder position, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the left. Today’s training session will thus be decisive.
