Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is the favourite to start in midfield in the Nerazzurri’s Coppa Italia semifinal second leg match against Juventus tomorrow evening.
This according to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, via FCInterNews, who report that the 29-year-old Turkish international is ahead of Marcelo Brozovic in terms of his candidacy to be in the starting eleven against the Bianconeri at the base of the midfield trio.
Against Empoli in the league on Sunday, Inter coach Simone Inzaghi rotated the eleven significantly.
Both of Nicolo Barella and Henrikh Mkhitaryan dropped out of the starting eleven, with Roberto Gagliardini coming in to the team for what is a relatively rare appearance for the former Atalanta man.
However, both of Calhanoglu and Brozovic started the match.
It was Brozovic who lined up in the regista role, whilst Calhanoglu shifted over to the left to play the position that had been customary last season.
However, this campaign the former AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen man, who is captain of the Turkish national team, has been shifted back to more of a deep-lying role, necessitated by a couple of long-term injuries to Brozovic.
During the matches that he has played at the base of midfield, Calhanoglu has not just done an adequate job of filling in for the Croat, but has looked to have in fact cemented a new main role for himself within the team.
Accordingly, it is likelier that the 29-year-old will be entrusted to the same role that he has thrived in in matches against the likes of Barcelona, Napoli, and AC Milan this season rather than used in a box-to-box position with Brozovic starting deep in midfield.
This will mean that Brozovic, who started in both legs of the Champions League quarterfinal tie against Benfica as Calhanoglu came back to fitness, is set for a role on the bench from the first whistle against Juventus tomorrow.