Inter midfielder Marcelo Brozovic has reportedly been ruled out of tonight’s pre-season friendly against Villarreal.
The 29-year-old Croatian midfielder was a core part of Simone Inzaghi’s squad in the Lombardy capital last season, playing over 4000 minutes of action as he worked to dictate action from deep in midfield. Brozovic is expected to again play a leading role for Inter as they look to take back the Scudetto from intercity rivals Milan.
As reported by Corriere dello Sport, Brozovic has not been called up by Inzaghi for Inter’s friendly against Villarreal tonight due to a calf issue. It’s not a serious injury but the Nerazzurri don’t want to take any risks ahead of the season opener against Lecce.
Kristjan Asllani will therefore get the chance to start against the Spanish side tonight. The 20-year-old Albanian joined from Empoli on a loan deal with a conditional obligation to buy clause attached last month and he’s hoping to prove himself a reliable alternative to Brozovic.
Asllani will give some serious headaches to Inzaghi this season. Hakan should double hos effort too.