Inter Milan will not take any risks given the fitness of Marcus Thuram and Francesco Acerbi, with both expected to return in time to face Atletico Madrid.
Today’s paper edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews, reported that the striker and defender should definitely be fit for the second leg of the Champions League round. But they are in no hurry to return.
The two notable injury absences for Inter at the moment are Thuram and Acerbi.
The former suffered a thigh problem in the first leg against Atletico.
Inter announced yesterday that Thuram suffered from a stretched adductor muscle in his right thigh.
Acerbi, on the other hand, has already been out for several weeks. The Italian international suffered a calf problem during the Serie A match against Roma earlier this month.
Neither Thuram nor Acerbi will return for Inter’s next few games.
This weekend, the Nerazzurri travel to Lecce in Serie A. Next Wednesday, he will host Atalanta in a make-up match for the Supercoppa Italiana he missed.
And it is unlikely that Thuram or Acerbi will feature in either game.
For French nationals, their return will be approximately 10 to 15 days later. So definitely not within the next week.
Meanwhile, Acerbi’s recovery schedule is similar.
Both Thuram and Acerbi could return for next month’s Serie A home match against Genoa.
If not, a return could be on the horizon with an away trip to Bologna.
The aim is to get both Thuram and Acerbi back to their best in time for next month’s big trip to Madrid.
But in any case, Inter are not going to risk recalling either of them unless they are absolutely sure of their fitness.