Inter, Calhanoglu sidelined: muscle problem, not even on the bench against Udinese

Inter lose the Turkish playmaker to injury

Bad news for Inter: Cristian Chivu hinted at the end of his pre-match press conference ahead of Udinese that a surprise absentee would probably miss out on the squad.

Today's teamsheet for the 20:45 match at San Siro confirmed it was Hakan Calhanoglu. He is not even on the bench and will stay in the stands because of a muscle problem.

Chivu’s words on the eve of the match

At the usual pre-match press conference, Chivu kept his cards close to his chest: ""Dimarco has trained and is available for the squad. Spence is working his way back to full match fitness. As for the others... (pause with a smile, ed.) you will see from tomorrow's squad list who will be there".

Muscle fatigue

Calhanoglu will not be involved against Udinese because of muscle fatigue in the adductors of his thigh. It is not a serious problem, but it still cannot be underestimated given the Turk's clinical history: he ended last season with a muscle problem, went to the World Cup and played through the pain for Turkey, and had started to get minutes back into his legs without ever going beyond around 60 minutes of playing time.

Out against Udinese, a doubt for Roma

Inter will therefore be without their playmaker for this evening's match against Udinese, with further assessments on his condition set to take place over the coming days. The obvious focus now shifts to the next league game, scheduled for next Saturday 19 September at 18:00 at the Stadio Olimpico, when Inter will face Roma in the second head-to-head clash of this start to the season.