Inter will face a test of how they can cope without midfielder Nicolo Barella in Wednesday’s Serie A clash with Torino.
This is highlighted in today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, who note that the Nerazzurri will have to see how they can play without the midfielder who is also suspended for the first leg of their Champions League tie against Liverpool.
Barella’s yellow card in the first half of Friday’s win over Salernitana was virtually the only stain on a night where the Nerazzurri scored five goals and comfortably kept a clean sheet to consolidate their lead at the top of Serie A table.
The booking meant that the 24-year-old will miss Wednesday’s match through an accumulation of yellow cards, meaning that one of Arturo Vidal, Roberto Gagliardini, Stefano Sensi, or Matias Vecino should start in his place.
Barella will also miss at least the first leg of the Champions League round of sixteen tie against Liverpool after having received a straight red card against Real Madrid in the final group stage match.
Inter will already have seen the clash with Liverpool as a major challenge, but going into it without one of their key midfielders will make facing the Reds seem even more imposing.
Against Torino, Inter coach Simone Inzaghi will be forced into seeing how his team does when they are unable to rely on Barella due to suspension, and it could give some hints as to how this will factor into their Champions League clash with the Reds.