Inter are forced to revamp in the absence of Lautaro Martinez and Marcelo Brozovic, starting a revamped side against Thiago Motta’s troubled Genoa.
It kicks off at San Siro at 17.00 GMT.
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game, Udinese–Cagliari and Torino-SPAL on the LIVEBLOG.
Inter are forced to revamp in the absence of Lautaro Martinez and Marcelo Brozovic, starting a revamped side against Thiago Motta’s troubled Genoa.
It kicks off at San Siro at 17.00 GMT.
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game, Udinese-Cagliari and Torino-SPAL on the LIVEBLOG.
The Nerazzurri need a victory to spend Christmas joint top of the table with Juventus, who already beat Sampdoria on Wednesday.
However, Antonio Conte’s men have managed only two consecutive Serie A draws against Roma and Fiorentina.
Above all, he has hitman Lautaro Martinez and midfield touchstone Brozovic suspended, with Alexis Sanchez, Nicolò Barella and Kwadwo Asamoah injured.
Stefano Sensi, Roberto Gagliardini and Antonio Candreva are not 100 per cent fit, but two of them are in the starting XI anyway.
Teenager Sebastiano Esposito gets the nod with Romelu Lukaku, but not midfielder Lucien Agoume.
It is the first Serie A start in 17-year-old Esposito's career.
Genoa are fresh from a late 1-0 Derby della Lanterna defeat to city rivals Sampdoria and Thiago Motta is hanging by a thread.
In fact, there are even reports in Uruguay that ex-Cagliari boss Diego Lopez has already been lined up to become Genoa’s third coach of the season.
The former Inter midfielder has to do without suspended Goran Pandev, while Lukas Lerager, Christian Kouame, Riccardo Saponara, Antonio Barreca, Sinan Gumus and Cristian Zapata are injured.
Kevin Agudelo surprisingly plays with Antonio Sanabria and Inter-owned centre-forward Andrea Pinamonti, but there’s no place for ex-Ajax midfielder Lasse Schone.
Inter: Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Candreva, Vecino, Borja Valero, Gagliardini, Biraghi; Esposito, R Lukaku
Inter bench: Padelli, Berni, Godin, Sensi, Ranocchia, Politano, Lazaro, Dimarco, Agoume, D’Ambrosio
Genoa: Radu; Biraschi, Romero, Criscito; Ghiglione, Jagiello, Radovanovic, Cassata, Agudelo; Sanabria, Pinamonti
Genoa bench: Marchetti, Jandrei, Goldaniga, El Yamiq, Schone, Sturaro, Favilli, Ankersen, Pajac, Cleonise, Rovella
Ref: Pairetto