Inter without captain Lautaro Martínez against Ajax | OneFootball

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Sport Italia, Lautaro Martínez will not play in Wednesday’s Champions League match between Ajax and Inter. The captain of the Italian club is reportedly struggling with his back.

The 28-year-old Martínez played for over an hour in last weekend’s away defeat against Juventus. In the lead-up to the match against Ajax, the Argentine completed individual training. Still, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Sport Italia, he did not recover in time to play a significant role in Amsterdam.

Martínez’s absence is a setback for former Ajax player Cristian Chivu. The Romanian, who has been manager at Inter since the start of this season, is reportedly choosing 20-year-old Pio Esposito as Martínez’s replacement. The one-cap Italian international came through the Nerazzurri’s youth academy and will form a forward duo with Marcus Thuram.

The Italian media also expects both Denzel Dumfries and Stefan de Vrij to start against Ajax. De Vrij hasn’t played a single minute in Serie A under Chivu. Last season’s Champions League finalists won their first league match of the season comfortably against Torino (5-0), but then lost to Udinese (1-2) and then Juventus (4-3).

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield