Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is likely to be rested in Sunday’s Serie A match against Monza
This according to today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews. They report that either Kristjan Asllani or Nicolo Barella could start in holding midfield.
Inter are just a few days from their return to Serie A action now.
Nerazzurri coach Simone Inzaghi is considering what his starting lineup will be when the team travel to Monza on Sunday.
The coach is juggling a few considerations.
Firstly, there is the international break itself. Some players have stayed behind and trained with Inzaghi. Others, on the other hand, have returned from international duty at different times.
And then there is the matter of Inter’s intense week ahead.
Inzaghi is not just thinking about the match against Monza.
There’s no doubt that the Inter coach will also have an eye on the following two matches.
Inter face Manchester City away in their Champions League opener on Wednesday. Then, the following weekend, they square off with city rivals AC Milan in the derby.
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And Calhanoglu is going to be one of the player Inzaghi is most concerned with having at his best against City and Milan.
The Turkish international is a pivotal player in every sense for Inter.
Having Calhanoglu in form will be massively important for the entire style of play of the team in their two hugely important matches.
And Calhanoglu recently suffered a bit of an injury scare. The 30-year-old had a bit of muscular fatigue after Inter’s Serie A win over Atalanta before the break.
Therefore, the Corriere reports, Calhanoglu will not start against Monza on Sunday.
Inzaghi will instead go with one of two solutions in holding midfield.
One would be to give Kristjan Asllani the nod. The Albanian is Calhanoglu’s chief understudy as a deep-lying playmaker.
On the other hand, Nicolo Barella could play at the base of Inter’s midfield trio. Then, Davide Frattesi would play in a box-to-box role.