Mauro Icardi will make his long-awaited return to San Siro when Inter face Atalanta tomorrow and the Argentine could face a frosty reception from supporters, as Corriere dello Sport discussed today.
Icardi has not played a home match since Inter’s 1-0 defeat against Bologna on 3 February, having missed more than a month of action after being stripped of the captaincy.
However, he is all but certain to start against the Bergamaschi on Sunday with Lautaro Martinez still unavailable through injury.
“Will he be booed more than he is applauded?” Corriere dello Sport asked.
“At the moment the doubt remains, and the ‘exit polls’ on social media don’t really help to get an answer either.
“Anyone who thinks Icardi will be influenced by how the Inter supporters greet him, though, is very much mistaken, because weirdly it’s when he’s under pressure that he tends to produce the goods.”
Regardless of how Maurito is received this weekend, he is no longer guaranteed of his place in Luciano Spalletti’s starting XI.
“It’s not out of the question Spalletti could revert to Lautaro up front when El Toro returns from injury,” the paper continued.
“Despite Icardi’s goal and subsequent hug with ‘enemy’ Ivan Perisic on Wednesday, his relationship with some of his teammates remains precarious. The sense is they’re tolerating each other with the communal aim of securing Champions League qualification.”
