Inter Milan coach Cristian Chivu has decided to start Marcus Thuram alongside captain Lautaro Martinez against Sassuolo.
The match kicks-off at 17:00 GMT (18:00 CET) in Reggio Emilia at the Mapei Stadium, with official lineups now released.
If ever there was a key moment in the league campaign, this is one. Inter visit a rejuvenated Sassuolo side who have regained confidence and key players after a difficult spell.
However, Lautaro Martinez and company have shown on multiple occasions that they can deliver in decisive situations.
Meanwhile, Sassuolo come into this match on the back of consecutive wins after a seven-game drought.
The return of Domenico Berardi has restored belief, and coach Fabio Grosso sticks with his trusted 4-3-3 system.
Despite heading into proceedings as favorites, Inter will still be without several first-team stars.
Indeed, Cristian Chivu cannot call upon the likes of Denzel Dumfries, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Nicolo Barella.
Therefore, the Romanian tactician has once again adjusted his starting lineup.
Sassuolo vs Inter Milan – Thuram Gets The Nod In Attack
Marcus Thuram earns another start in attack and partners Lautaro Martinez up front.
Indeed, doubts lingered over Thuram’s condition but Chivu has opted for the Frenchman available from the bench, with Pio Esposito on the bench.
I 1️⃣1️⃣ nostri nerazzurri per #SassuoloInter 😎@play_eFootball pic.twitter.com/9bnqLIpr79
— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter) February 8, 2026
Behind them, Henrikh Mkhitaryan is the only player to keep his place from the Coppa Italia clash. He joins Piotr Zielinski and Petar Sucic in midfield.
On the flanks, Luis Henrique and Federico Dimarco return to the starting XI.
Inter Depth On Bench With Pio Esposito, Frattesi & Bonny Waiting In The Wings
In defence, Yann Bisseck, Manuel Akanji, and Alessandro Bastoni form the back three in front of Yann Sommer.
Testament to Inter’s squad depth, Chivu has chosen to keep the likes of Carlos Augusto, Marcus Thuram, Ange-Yoan Bonny and Davide Frattesi on the bench.
The coach has four strong centre-forwards at his disposal and so far this season has done an excellent job at rotating them.
Frattesi, meanwhile, was linked heavily away from the Nerazzurri in the winter.
𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝑿𝑰 🖤💚#SassuoloInter#ForzaSasol pic.twitter.com/xmFj5yVMLs
— U.S. Sassuolo (@SassuoloUS) February 8, 2026
However, Inter’s inability to sign Liverpool man Curtis Jones essentially pulled the plug on Frattesi’s rumoured switch to Nottingham Forest.
Instead the Italian will now be integrated back into the squad.
Sassuolo Vs Inter Milan – Official Starting Lineups: Thuram, Sucic & Mkhitaryan Start
SASSUOLO (4-3-3): 49 Murić; 6 Walukiewicz, 21 Idzes, 80 Muharemovic, 3 Doig; 42 Thorstvedt, 18 Matic, 90 Koné; 10 Berardi, 99 Pinamonti, 45 Laurienté.
Bench: 12 Satalino, 16 Zacchi, 7 Volpato, 8 Nzola, 11 Boloca, 19 Romagna, 20 Fadera, 23 Garcia, 24 Moro, 25 Coulibaly, 35 Lipani, 40 Vranckx, 44 Iannoni, 50 Bakola, 66 Pedro Felipe.
Coach: Grosso.
Suspended: none.
Unavailable: Boloca, Turati, Candé, Pieragnolo.
INTER (3-5-2): 1 Sommer; 31 Bisseck, 25 Akanji, 95 Bastoni; 11 Luis Henrique, 8 Sučić, 7 Zielinski, 22 Mkhitaryan, 32 Dimarco; 10 Lautaro Martinez, 9 Thuram.
Bench: 12 Di Gennaro, 13 J. Martinez, 6 De Vrij, 14 Bonny, 15 Acerbi, 16 Frattesi, 17 Diouf, 30 Carlos Augusto, 36 Darmian, 41 Kamate, 43 Cocchi, 94 Esposito.
Coach: Chivu.
Suspended: none.
Unavailable: Dumfries, Calhanoglu, Barella.
Referee: Daniele Chiffi.
Assistants: Vecchi and Ceccon.
Fourth official: Galipò.
VAR: Camplone.
Assistant VAR: Aureliano.
Very happy for the win but now the real test begins with ucl playoff games in between jube and bilan games.
Next 4 games in the league is crucial then we have just 10 games to go.
Juve – Lazio 0 – 2 guys what a weekend!!
Rube 1 Lazio 2 65 min
5 more minutes
2-2 last 20 second,. F
Wow 5 goals is too harsh on sassuolo.. totall annhilation. Awesome.
Dimarco saved the game in the first minute. That goal could have taken the momentum waaaaay out of our favor. They fell apart after their initial push.
We’ve got to dictate the speed of the game from the first minute. It could have gone very differently.
We would have won no matter what. Pisa scored 2, then we scored 6. We were clearly superior to Sassuolo and had prepared the game well. Our win was guaranteed regardless of what Sassuolo could do.
I dunno. Those first five minutes were sketchy. Confidence could have swung. Anyway, glad we won easily and basically rested for the last 40 minutes
It’s very similar to Pisa game, looks like in first few minutes, the focus level is really low… But after that, just domination.
What i dont see is bob and the boss. This lil bishes..dissing my team. Burn in hell ragers
Don’t forget about Petery. Boss, Bob and Petery are always here commenting bs, but are nowhere to be found when Inter wins, which is more often than not this season.
what we have learned so far:
Chivu rotates more than Inzaghi. Inzaghi run the players ragged by the midway of last season. no wonder why they bottled every final in the end.
With Barella injured the team is more cohesive and runs like a machine, no room for missed interpretations and no one running around shouting and flaring his arms at other teammates.
good point, Barella carries that BrozoCroc style of crying like a kid.
Nice game, now the time to teach Juve a lesson.
Hopefully Pisa get points from Milan.
We are doing well, we just need to keep working hard and rotate wisely.
esposito, diouf, bonny, and frattesi looking to next goals
Luis Henrique became Luis Enrique today!
what a goal from henrique, hopefully it gives him more confidence
Great goal…
never doubted Henrique!!
Yes, fifth goal. Finally goal for Luis Henrique. 🙂
oh! goal from henrique!
henriqueeeeeeee! bullet!
Finally Lol.
tomorrows newspapers, all bilanistas, merdentini and kunt’e will be barking conspiracy as the first goal corner came, came after thuram was off side, and the sassu goal offside!
that said if the offside goal stood, this could easily have gone the other way
Nah, we would have won no matter what. We are demolishing them.
yes now. if their goal stood, it would have been 2-1, and with the momentum they had at the time, they would have easily scored more. that said, nice to have a fiver and a clean sheet!
What the rules are simple. VAR don’t check infringements leading to a corner. Only for goals
well expecting the low IQ bilanistas, merdentini and the perennial moaner kunté to know the rules is hoping for too much!
Well, TBH, even we down 2 goals, it will be a Pisa game again. The domination after the first few minutes just can ensure that no issue to win this game.
now it looks boring with all of these passings
I want more, this is not enough for me.
Dimarco is on fire, don’t touch him as you might get burnt. Maybe some EPL club will come with a 100+ mln offer for him this summer. lol
think chivu missed a trick here, would have been ideal bringing on komate for henrique
But then again…luis got his goal..love that
but imagine… just imagine…. henrique had come off, and komate had scored that!!!!
I think luis deserved that bro. Kid’s been grinding through all the hate. Good job for him
ya.. I think we are being too harsh on him. hope the goal helps get his mojo back!!
OK, Pio and Bonny in field. I’d love one more goal from one of them. 🙂
Would be nice one more goals since they play with 10 men.
Now keep clean sheet.
Nope…7 goals is my new order 🙂
And i mean 0-7…cause..who knows with my lovely inter
So…just to be clear…my order is 0-7 but i’ll settle for 0-6 and nothing less
I’m OK with 0:5 because they play with 10 men.
And my wish came true. 😛
Forza my man. Now time to buy rubentina some flowers before we fok them good
My God, when are the kids going to get minutes if not tonight, we’re up by 4 goals with player more.
That’s the daftness in Italian football I keep talking about
You know what’s daft? Thinking that Erevidisie and Belgium Pro League will overtake Serie A, or thinking Sebastiano is better than Pio, or thinking that Pinamonti was a better option than Dzeko 2-3 seasons ago.
Thanks for expressing your view man… As for Sebastiano versus Pio, my opinion hasn’t and will not change until Pio improves his overall gameplay…
I remember saying the same thing about DiMarco… He is one of the lucky ones, though it took years and lots of loans before he started being used. So typical in recent-day serie a…
That’s the daftness in Italian football I keep talking about. But at least Chivu is doing better than previous coaches when it comes to this…
Diego, i wish you had a bit more faith in my squadra muchacho
No, i have faith in them, but we need more minutes for younger players. This game after red card was very good opportunity for some of them.
Fair game…but also a good time to send a message. This Inter is out for blood. How about that for a msg before we wreck rubentina. Bissek needs to tame the turk in 2,5 minutes and show him the kind of game there will be. Hope Niko is ready to help him. Cause these cheaters have nothing else going on. Just some lame dribblers. Kick them and get the yellow. We are taking all the points home. Forza Inter
Chivu can make some substitutions now. This game is already won. I would put Kamate in to play.
Good game today vs our boogeyman, but it has to be said their gk was horrible
Dimarco is Inter’s best player today. It’s impressive how all the plays originate from his feet, whether with the ball in play or in the air. When Dumfries returns, our right side will be strong again as well.
at this point, its a wonder why there isn’t any clubs taking a strong interest in dimarco.
better than liverpool/real’s TAA in my opinion.
Woohoo, third assist for Dimarco. Akanji scored. Maybe canceled. Oh, yes. Not. 🙂
ok! a one min standing ovation for dimarco! a goal line block in the first min! and a hat trick of assists! what a player!
Same player many here doubted when he was younger, despite cleae evidence that he ought to have been used by inter way earlier than when he was…
yes, not that said the away spells made him! he too confessed that the time in sion was pivotal to his career. if he stayed in inter, he would never bench perisic, so would have wasted away. everything happens for the good!
There’s what is called “squad rotation”. After Sion he had other loan spells, before you know it he was 24.. He turns 29 this year… So much time wasted….
Akanji finally gets his goal. Nice
forget the muharemovic guy! get us kone!! that Canadian chap is a beast.
Niko, three goals as you said. And Lautaro scored, as I asked for. 😛
I got’chu bro 🙂
LUATAROOOO
miki is finished. no need for contract renewal
we are playing poorly yet leading 2-0. sassuolo deserved the goal.. unlucky for the offside.. though this compensates for mhikis offside against barça.!
mhiki is as useful as a feather for a paperweight! I think we need to get in diouf or fratessi in the middle, they are dominating our midfield
Diouf. Fratesi, every time he comes on, practically adds nothing. He wasn’t sold only because no offer came in that pleased the board, and also because they didn’t know who to replace him with.
the thing is fratessi is a bit better than diouf defensively. I see sassuolo throwing the sink at us in the second half, and feel the one legged diouf might get caught out. that said diouf might score us another goal.. so who knows… right now my grandmum with one leg is better than mhiki! 😉
everyone did great so far, except Henrique.
Hope to see Pio goal and our new fresh young wingers that did great.
Lautaro has been poor in the first half with missed passes and losing possession. It’s good Thuram scored tho and he’s been making dangerous runs
We dont have fans for this match right?
we don’t have fans in any organized fashion, especially not those ultras that attend away matches in designated parts of the stadium, but I guess there are supporters, ordinary people who have purchased tickets in advance and who cheer for us and are scattered across the place..I guess it’s like that..
Fratessi has been weak whenever he’s come in..against Torino he was awful, don’t think he should play, but given the absentees in the middle of the park, everything is possible..I would rather see Diouf, but I don’t expect imminent changes unless something dramatic happens
Hey dud..go support rubentina. Fake fan
Bisseck’s problem is that he has poor marking skills. You can see that most of Suassuolo’s plays come from his side along with L. Henrique, who are failing in their marking. He has good support and is good in the air, but defending isn’t his strong suit.
I don’t think it’s bisseck.. it’s the midfield. they are overloading the rt side with lauriente, matic, kone and the… guy. our midfield was getting sliced open too easily
Wanna see lautaro score now hes been really quiet
Wohooo, offside. Niko, waiting for third goal (Lautaro). 😛
i like this referee, he has always been our side as far as i remember
Too many of their players in our box, midfielders were nowhere to cover.
Offside?
YES
Worst time to conede we shouldve just had a cleansheet till halftime
I was thinking where pasa inter are and here they score ♂️
Zielinski really the best midfielder this season for us. Mhiki once again bad game, let youngsters play
totally different player from last season, zielinski.
probably a different system, but he seems to sit in midfield quite comfortably.
zielinski is like our pirlo!
Inzaghi simply gave him very limited play and confidence. He also had one or two injuries to compound that situation.
Really hope he stay away from muharemovic.
hope to see Kamate in 2nd half. And also the second younger left winger too. They both did great lately…
Dimarcos left foot is the best thing invented
bring back block and likes/dislikes to comments. I wanted to partake in shaming a fool named lonely Paulo.
forza Bisseck
He’s a clown that never gets it right.
Thuraaaaaaaaaaam. 2 more Dimarco assists. WoooooooowW! Niko, are we scoring 3 goals? 😛
The logic of some people is hilarious-
Bisseck scores – he’s amazing
Bisseck completely stationary ball watching marking nobody leading to a serious chance – silence!
He just CAN’T defend!!
Scoring doesn’t make him a good defender, play him as a CF he’s better than Thuram lol
More importantly does anyone know why we have fans there?! Will we get further sanctions.
Bro, just admit you’re wrong. You were wrong about Dumfries, wrong about Bonny, and wrong about Bisseck.
You’re takes are almost always wrong. Maybe you just don’t know as much about football as you think you do.
Your logic is- cherry pick 3 times Bisseck made a mistake and ignore everything else he does.
He scores goals, wins headers, has the pace to cover on counters, and dribbles through midfield every game.
Some fans choose to support their team. Others somehow always look to find fault with a team that is winning and developing the next gen of players at the same time.
Haha i thought that was gonna be bissecks brace man the scenes if he scored
anyone knows the name of this referee?
Daniel Chiffi
Bisseck haters, where you at?
We need to play this game through the middle. They are clamping down the wings. Zielinski is going to be key in playing passes in the channels
Yaaaaaaaaaaaann Auuuuuuuuuuuuurel.
Bisseck
BISSECK!! towers over their defenders
That goal is big because Sassoulo were on top
Cmon bisseck!
Scary start of Sassuolo.
why miki always play
What a block dimarco omg
Not easy against in form Sassuolo, especially that Berdardi is back. We need another win before the derby.
Daniela is gonna make this very very hard. We need to score 3 goals minimum. Maybe 2 in the first half before she starts with her usual drama. Ladies and gents – daniela chifi
3 goals? Very optimistic, Niko.
Well buddy…that girl is cray cray… i wish we could grind a 1-0 and go home…but not when she’s around