Inter are currently putting in their final preparations ahead of Tuesday evening’s Champions League clash against Benfica, but recent reports from training suggest that Simone Inzaghi has a decision to make over his defensive line-up.
La Gazzetta dello Sport are reporting that Inzaghi has been experimenting with a couple of different line-ups , with potential changes in line on the right-hand side of the back five.
The Pink paper suggests that Alessandro Bastoni and Francesco Acerbi are practically nailed-on to start in against the Portuguese heavyweights, but the third position at centre-back and the right-wing back position could be subject to change.
A lot revolves around Matteo Darmian, who did not feature during Saturday’s 4-0 win over Salernitana and had been expecting to come back into the starting XI for the Champions League group stage encounter.
On Monday, Darmian had been taking part in drills alongside Bastoni and Acerbi in place of Benjamin Pavard, who had started in the back three at the weekend.
However, there was also a second option tested on Monday, with Pavard starting in the back three and Darmian out on the right-hand side in place of Denzel Dumfries.
During Tuesday’s session, it was Pavard who played on the right of the back three and Dumfries back at wing-back. La Gazzetta suggests that this is currently the most likely combination to start against Benfica.
Elsewhere, Inter’s team practically writes itself. Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are tipped to start in midfield, whilst Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram are expected to lead the line.