Inter suffer Barella blow before Borussia Dortmund Champions League decider | OneFootball

Cristian Chivu will have to do without two of his first-choice midfielders when Inter take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, as Hakan Calhanogluu is injured and Nicolo Barella has reportedly not travelled to Germany with the Nerazzurri squad.

Barella ruled out of Borussia Dortmund vs. Inter decider

The Nerazzurri have been on strong form in Serie A, where they lead the table with a five-point margin over their closest rivals. Chivu’s side slipped out of the Champions League top eight last week, though, following a 3-1 defeat at home against Premier League and UCL leaders Arsenal.

They are on 12 points from seven matches in the Champions League and currently find themselves in 14th place in the table, sandwiched between two Italian competitors: Atalanta one point and one position in front of them, and Juventus one place below on the same points tally.

MILAN, ITALY – JANUARY 20: Petar Sucic of FC Internazionale Milano celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between FC Internazionale Milano and Arsenal FC at Stadio San Siro on January 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

The Nerazzurri are left needing favours from other sides if they are to climb back into the top eight in the final round of Champions League fixtures on Wednesday night.

To make matters more complicated for Chivu and his team, Italy international Barella has been ruled out with muscular fatigue and has not travelled with the team for Dortmund according to La Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Sport Italia.

CAGLIARI, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 27: Nicolò Barella of Inter warms up ahead before the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and FC Internazionale at Stadio Sant’Elia on September 27, 2025 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)

This means that Inter will be without two of their first-choice midfielders given that Calhanoglu has also missed the last three games with a calf issue. Denzel Dumfries also remains out longer term.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Chivu is now inclined to deploy a midfield three of Petar Sucic, Piotr Zielinski and Henrikh Mkhitaryan for the Dortmund clash on Wednesday.