Striker Marcus Thuram will face a big test of his preparedness for the season in today’s friendly between Chelsea and Inter Milan.
Today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, highlight the importance of this afternoon’s match for the Frenchman in particular.
Thuram was one of the last players to make a return to training for Inter.
This was due to the fact that the 27-year-old, along with his Nerazzurri teammate Benjamin Pavard, was part of the France squad that reached the semifinal of EURO 2024.
Therefore, Thuram was due some vacation time after that tournament. He has needed to rest from both the Euros and the gruelling club season last time around.
But now Thuram has been back in training for a couple of weeks.
Along with his teammates, the Frenchman has been working frantically to get his condition and match-sharpness up for the start of a season that is now just a few days away.
Marcus Thuram Facing Big Test In Chelsea Vs Inter Friendly
For Thuram, the start of the season will be hugely important.
Inter will have a lot of doubts in attack going into their Serie A opener against Genoa.
Both Mehdi Taremi and Marko Arnautovic are currently recovering from injuries. Even if either are to be part of the squad against Genoa, they won’t be at their best.
The same is true of Inter captain Lautaro Martinez.
The captain has done all he can to be fit and available for the start of Inter’s league campaign.
But the reality is that with less than two weeks of preparation under his belt before the Serie A opener, there is no way Martinez will be able to be at his best physically.
That leaves it to Thuram to be the decisive influence in Inter’s attack.
The 27-year-old did not show that he can be that in Inter’s friendly loss to Al-Ittihad.
But against Chelsea this evening, Thuram will have another chance to prove just that. The question is whether or not he can take it.