Inter’s Derby Dilemma: Fresh Injury Threatens the Nerazzurri Before Milan Showdown

Derby Dilemma: Inter face fresh injury ahead of Milan clash

Inter Milan's head coach Cristian Kivo revealed another setback for the squad ahead of the Derby della Madonnina against their city rivals, scheduled for Sunday.

The Nerazzurri are already missing key players, notably captain and top scorer Lautaro Martinez, out since suffering a hamstring strain in the first leg of the Champions League qualifier against Bodø/Glimt last month.

France forward Marcus Thuram's involvement in the attack is now in considerable doubt for one of the season's biggest matches.

Kivo said at the derby press conference: "Players are in good shape and trained well after the Coppa Italia win against Como, but we faced some problems today with Marcus, who has a fever and couldn't train. We hope he will be fully ready and available tomorrow."

Meanwhile, the team received a lift with the return of Hakan Calhanoglu, who started his first match in six weeks in the goalless draw with Como in the Coppa Italia semifinal first leg on Tuesday.

Kivo's comments on Calhanoglu: "Calhanoglu is fine and available for tomorrow's game; his hour-long appearance against Como helped him a lot, and we'll see what happens tomorrow."

Also read: No ghosts at San Siro... and referees aren't to blame for Italy's downfall.

Punchline: If injuries were a weapon, Inter would be running a full arsenal—good news is, laughter is still on the bench and ready to warm up the crowd.

Punchline 2: The derby might be tight, but at least the reactions will be quick—even if the hamstrings aren’t.