In light of the chaos surrounding Mauro Icardi, Lautaro Martinez will no doubt start today’s game in the former captain’s place. It is now up to him to prove his words and show Inter why he must be allowed to play more, in the eyes of Gazzetta dello Sport.
This will be the Argentine’s seventh start for the Nerazzurri and his Europa League debut. He must treat it as a fresh start because Icardi’s future in Milan is in the balance but even if he stays, El Toro will need to prove himself capable of challenging his position or worthy enough to warrant a change in formation to accommodate them both. Let’s not forget Icardi is an exceptional talent, so it will not be easy.
In training yesterday, Lauarto partnered up with Cedric and Miranda in a three-a-side tournament and is always seen smiling with Icardi, as he tries to learn as much as possible from his friend and countrymen. He has already played in Barcelona, London and Eindhoven, but tonight will be very different. He is expected to start with Nainggolan and Politano in support. Today he must drop the smiles and focus on preparing himself mentally, for that is all that is left to do. Impressing against Rapid is fundamental for his future as an Interista.
Lautaro will be entering this game with a lot of expectation, not helped by himself after he scored the winning goal in Parma to get Inter off the mark in 2019. Even if he is 21 and if this is only his first season in Europe, the importance of this day cannot be stressed enough.