Inter Lose Lautaro Martinez for a While to a Calf Issue | OneFootball

Inter will be without their captain and leading scorer Lautaro Martinez in a key stretch of the season. He got hurt in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League playoff versus Bodo/Glimt. He has been diagnosed with a calf strain and could be out for up to a month. Although he might try to accelerate ahead of the Derby coming up in mid-March, Mediaset reports.

The Nerazzurri will square off against Lecce and Genoa, looking to maintain their seven-point lead, and also versus Como in the Coppa Italia semi-finals beforehand.

Lautaro Martinez has missed just one game this campaign, against Ajax, when Inter prevailed anyway. He has recorded 14 goals and 4 assists thus far. Despite his importance, the Nerazzurri have been able to navigate his rare absences well. In the last two-and-a-half seasons, they are undefeated in the matches without him. They have won 10 times and drawn on 4 occasions.

They’ll be particularly depleted versus Lecce. Nicolò Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu are suspended. The Turk is also dealing with quad muscle fatigue, as he suffered a new ailment shortly after returning from a calf strain. He’s in doubt for the return tie versus Bodo/Glimt. Manuel Akanji and Piotr Zielinski also picked up minor physical problems in Norway, but they have been selected for Saturday’s meeting.

Our Take on Inter and Lautaro Martinez

They are better equipped to deal with his absence than in previous campaigns, especially thanks to Francesco Pio Esposito. However, they’ll need the best version of Marcus Thuram, who hasn’t responded particularly well to not being their featured striker this year to soften the blow. Perhaps the heightened role will get him going.