Inter Rocked by Absences: Thuram and Esposito Lead Charge at Kean-Fired Fiorentina
Inter Milan travel to Fiorentina as Serie A leaders but without key men Lautaro Martinez and Alessandro Bastoni, relying on Marcus Thuram and Francesco Pio Esposito up front. The Viola, buoyed by recent wins over Cremonese and Rakow Czestochowa, welcome back Moise Kean and others in a bid to upset the apple cart. Kick-off is 19:45 GMT, live on TNT Sports and DAZN in the UK.
Inter's Tuscan Trial: Top Dogs Without Their Bite
Picture this: Inter Milan, the runaway Serie A leaders, chugging into Florence like a slightly hungover stag party. They've got a five-point cushion over Milan and six on Napoli, but recent stutters – a Derby loss and a gritty 1-1 with Atalanta – have the pressure cooker bubbling. As Cristian Chivu's lads seek a reset, they're missing captain Lautaro Martinez and rock Alessandro Bastoni, both nursing knocks that could sideline them for Italy's World Cup play-off against Northern Ireland.
No Henrikh Mkhitaryan either, leaving the squad thinner than a post-match kebab wrapper. Carlos Augusto slots into the back three, while Hakan Calhanoglu shakes off his own niggles to boss midfield alongside Nicolo Barella and Piotr Zielinski. Up top, it's Marcus Thuram – goalless since early February, poor sod – partnering teenage hotshot Francesco Pio Esposito. As Susy Campanale noted at Football Italia, this could be the makeshift duo's big moment to shine.
Fiorentina's Fiery Revival: Kean on the Hunt
The hosts aren't exactly pushovers. Paolo Vanoli's Fiorentina are clawing clear of the drop zone after a thumping 4-1 at Cremonese, sitting just a point above the danger line. Midweek, they scrapped to a 2-1 win at Rakow Czestochowa for a 4-2 aggregate Conference League knockout, earning a tasty quarter-final against Crystal Palace. Moise Kean, starting his first since March, is eyeing redemption ahead of Italy duty, backed by returning Albert Gudmundsson, Robin Gosens, and David De Gea in goal.
Expect tweaks from their European XI: Rolando Mandragora might nurse a calf niggle from the bench, but Dodô, Pongracic, Ranieri, Nicolò Fagioli, Fabiano Parisi, Marco Brescianini, and Gudmundsson should form a gritty 4-1-4-1. Peter Young at Football Italia reckons the Viola could feed off home passion, especially with no Inter ultras in tow – Nerazzurri fans waved off the team at Milan station instead.
Line-Up Lowdown and Viewing Vibes
Sky Italia's crystal ball sees Inter in a 3-5-2: Yann Sommer behind Yann Bisseck, Manuel Akanji, and Augusto; Denzel Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, and Federico Dimarco across midfield; Thuram and Esposito spearheading. Fiorentina counter with De Gea; Dodô, Pongracic, Ranieri, Gosens; Fagioli; Parisi, Brescianini, Mandragora, Gudmundsson; Kean.
Kick-off at the Stadio Artemio Franchi is 19:45 GMT (20:45 CET). UK punters, fire up TNT Sports 1 or DAZN; Stateside, it's Paramount+. No Inter away end means a quieter cauldron, but Chivu's boys need points to keep the Scudetto dream purring. Will Esposito's youthful zip or Thuram's drought-breaking header seal it? Or does Kean's Viola ambush send shockwaves? Grab the popcorn – or better, a Peroni – and tune in. As Football Italia's coverage highlights, this one's got plot twists aplenty.