Inter will have to approach this evening’s Serie A clash with Lazio knowing that they may not be able to rely on their South American squad members, or risk causing fitness problems.
This is not a problem for their Champions League group stage rivals Real Madrid, notes the Gazzetta dello Sport, with the Merengues having been granted a postponement of their post-international break match against Athletic Club due to the absence of South Americans in their side.
Argentines Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa and Uruguayan Matias Vecino returned to Italy yesterday evening for Inter, while Chilean duo Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal arrived even later.
Nerazzurri coach Simone Inzaghi will have to balance the difficulties of working with key players who have had to play as recently as Thursday night and who have had little time to prepare for the clash with Biancocelesti.
Meanwhile, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti will be able to take more time and focus on the Merengues’ Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk, having been granted a postponement of their scheduled match against Athletic thanks to the problems of late-returning South Americans in the team such as Casemiro, Vinicius Jr., and Federico Valverde.