Radja Nainggolan is battling Joao Mario for a place in the starting lineup in tonight’s Serie A match at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genova’s Marassi district, with kick-off scheduled for 21.00 CET.

This alone is excellent news for Luciano Spalletti, who has his Ninja back for the final nine game push of the season. “Radja was the crown jewel of the Nerazzurri’s transfer market, the player around whom Inter thought could build the Juve beaters. But continuous troubles have made Nainggolan’s season inconsistent,” Milano based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport stresses in today’s paper.

Against Lazio on Sunday, Radja celebrated his fifth return to the squad this season. He was able to get a little less than 20 minutes (including stoppage time) of game time under his belt against Biancocelesti and now he is fueled by ambition more than ever, with the desire to repay the club and fans who have treated him like a rock star and made big sacrifices to get him in Milan.

His strength will no doubt make a difference in the race for Champions League qualification. Since, every time the Belgian has scored, Inter has won: Bologna, both Genoa teams and PSV. So, Inter fans will be hoping he scores in both legs against Genoa then.

In the first leg at San Siro, Nainggolan scored as part of the 5-0 demolition. It wasn’t decisive for the victory but it was still an important game. If he were to score today to secure the three points it would be more similar to that game against Sampdoria. He’s expected to start with Roberto Gagliardini and Marcelo Brozovic.