Why Inter are resting five key players in crucial Arsenal clash

Inter’s starting IX against Arsenal for their Champions League encounter may not include their stars Marcus Thuram, Nicolò Barella, Federico Dimarco, Henrik Mkhitaryan and Alessandro Bastoni, as they all look set to remain on the bench.

While Simone Inzaghi’s intention to rest some of his key players in one of the most difficult fixtures of their group phase seems a counterintuitive move, the Nerazzurri coach hopes to be taking a calculated risk as their packed fixture list requires him to preserve the condition of some footballers, particularly ahead of their Serie A match against Napoli.

Inter to drop key four players in Champions League’s fixture with Arsenal

Inter will reportedly start without their seasonal top-scorer Thuram against Arsenal, as the 27-year-old should make room for Mehdi Taremi despite contributing with eight goals and five assists from 13 games to his side’s start to the season.

However, Thuram’s only start in Europe came on Nerazzurri’s debut at Manchester City, while he remained on the bench for 90 minutes against Red Star and came on late to score his team’s winner away to Young Boys in their last game.

However, after starting four consecutive Serie A games since 20 October, without finding any goal, Inzaghi believes the France international can be a valuable second half substitute against the Gunners, which would also give him a chance to rest before Inter’s home meeting with Napoli on Sunday.

Next weekend’s San Siro clash against the Partenopei will put the Serie A summit at stake, and Inzaghi is clearly aware of the importance of such a fixture, which is why he’s required to make delicate choices to keep his team’s fitness as high as possible in both games.

What Arsenal should expect from a rotated Inter

Dimarco and Bastoni will also be relevant absences for Inter, as the hosts will lose their main creative player on the left, which will arguably lead the team to play more conservatively on that flank, where combinations between the two often cause troubles for their opponents.

Davide Frattesi and Piotr Zielinski will replace Barella and Mkhitaryan respectively, which is likely to make the Nerazzurri less able to manage possession for long moments and less efficient in ball recovery.

However, the two starters could add dangerousness to Inter’s breaks, thanks to Frattesi’s ability to invade the box and Zielinski’s excellent ball carries, which often manage to break the opponents’ lines.

Inzaghi hopes that Hakan Calhanoglu’s return to the starting eleven can bring more balance to the team, but he’ll also be ready to bring on some of his stars in the second half, expecting them to make a difference in what should be a tight contest between two unbeaten sides of the Champions League’s group phase.