Defender Benjamin Pavard and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan will start for Inter Milan in tomorrow’s Champions League match against Benfica.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who also anticipate that Nerazzurri captain Lautaro Martinez and defender Alessandro Bastoni will be back in the starting eleven.
Inter started Saturday evening’s Serie A match away to Salernitana with a heavily-rotated starting eleven.
The likes of Martinez, Pavard, Mkhitaryan, and Bastoni were all out of the lineup.
Martinez, Mkhitaryan, and Bastoni had all started in each of the Nerazzurri’s matches prior since the start of the season. They had been the only outfield players to start every one of the team’s matches.
Now, the only Inter player not to have dropped out of the starting lineup at any point is goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Meanwhile, Pavard had started for Inter against Real Sociedad and Empoli. He saw out the full ninety minutes of each of those matches.
The Frenchman dropped out of the lineup against Sassuolo last week, but returned against Salernitana over the weekend.
Pavard, Mkhitaryan, Lautaro & Bastoni Will All Start For Inter Vs Benfica
According to the Gazzetta, all of Pavard, Mkhitaryan, Martinez, and Bastoni will start against Benfica.
Inter face Benfica in their second Champions League group stage match of the campaign.
It will be vital for the Nerazzurri to take three points from that match.
Inter were only able to scrape a draw in their group stage opener away to Real Sociedad.
Meanwhile, Benfica lost to Red Bull Salzburg in their own first match in the Champions League this season.
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi is ready to go with what is essentially his strongest starting eleven against the Portuguese champions.
This will mean the returns of players the coach had rested against Salernitana like Mkhitaryanm, Martinez, and Bastoni as well as Federico Dimarco.
And Pavard will also keep his place ahead of Matteo Darmian, the Gazzetta reports.
