Midfielder Kristjan Asllani will come into the Inter Milan starting eleven for Sunday’s Serie A match away to Lecce.
This according to today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews.
Asllani has not been a regular starter for Inter this season by any stretch of the imagination.
The former Empoli midfielder is behind Hakan Calhanoglu in the pecking order. The latter has been one of Inter’s key men in midfield, and has rarely dropped out of the team.
Asllani has gotten a couple of starts in the Champions League.
And the 21-year-old has also started twice in Serie A. This included a start in a 1-0 win away to Fiorentina last month – a fixture in which Calhanoglu was suspended.
Asllani earned plaudits for a mature performance in that match, particularly defensively.
But nevertheless, it has been all Calhanoglu ever since then. The Turk has remained one of Inter’s main starters.
Asllani, meanwhile, has had a number of opportunities off the bench this season.
Kristjan Asllani To Start For Inter Vs Lecce
Against Lecce this weekend, however, Inter coach Simone Inzaghi is ready to make some changes to his team.
Inter are coming off the back of a gruelling Champions League match against Atletico Madrid this week.
And then, next Wednesday, the Nerazzurri will have a league fixture against Atalanta to think about.
That leaves just a couple of days of rest and training between league fixtures.
So Inzaghi is naturally mindful of the need to not overuse key starters.
That will mean that Calhanoglu likely gets a rest this Sunday. And Asllani will be the player to take his place.
The Corriere report that the Albanian international will start at the base of a midfield trio.
The newspaper’s complete predicted starting eleven for Inter is as follows:
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Carlos Augusto; Dumfries, Frattesi, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Arnautovic, Lautaro.
