Returning Lautaro Martinez to Lead Rotated Inter Milan Lineup Against Lazio | OneFootball

Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez is expected to make his return to the starting lineup in Saturday’s Serie A clash against Lazio.

The Background

The two clubs will clash heads in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday, but will first meet for a dress rehearsal this weekend, also taking place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. So while several key Lazio players could be rested on Saturday, the same applies to Inter, as Cristian Chivu also intends to preserve fresh legs for the grand finale.

Lautaro Martinez Back in Action for Lazio vs Inter Milan Serie A clash

Lautaro Martinez might be leading the Serie A scoring charts with 16 goals, but he’s been impeded by recurring injuries in recent months. But according to several sources in the Italian media, including La Gazzetta dello Sport and FCInterNews, the Nerazzurri captain will spearhead the team’s charge this weekend, as he’s keen to put minutes in his legs before the cup final.

The Argentine should combine with Ange Bonny in attack, with Marcus Thuram dropped to the bench. Matteo Darmian and Carlos Augusto should operate in the wing-back slots, giving a breather for Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco.

Hakan Calhanoglu & Nicolo Barella Out of the Lineup

With Hakan Calhanoglu not fit enough for a starting role, Petar Sucic is tipped to function as a deep-lying playmaker, taking over from Piotr Zielinski. Nicolo Barella should also be rested, as Davide Frattesi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan fill in the box-to-box slots.

Former Lazio Defender Stefan De Vrij to Start for Inter Milan

Finally, Yann Bisseck, Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni are expected to form the three-man backline in front of Josep Martinez, who gets the opportunity to start in goal instead of Yann Sommer.

Inter Milan Probable XI (3-5-2): Martinez; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Frattesi, Sucic, Mkhitaryan, Carlos Augusto; Bonny, Lautaro.