Reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan could potentially be without defensive duo Stefan de Vrij and Matteo Darmian when they host Italian top-flight newcomers Como at San Siro on Monday, Soccernet.football understands.
De Vrij and Darmian both suffered injuries while training ahead of Monday’s game. Meanwhile, Inter remain without Francesco Acerbi and Benjamin Pavard with both players relegated to the sidelines due to hamstring issues.
Despite these absences in recent weeks, the defending champions have managed quite well in defense. They currently boast the third-best defensive record in the league with just 15 goals conceded so far.
Speaking ahead of the game, Inter manager Simone Inzaghi was hopeful of having the luxury of De Vrij and Darmian’s talents when Cesc Fabregas’ Como arrive in Milan.
“We’re dealing with a few absences in defence. Pavard and Acerbi are unavailable, and today De Vrij and Darmian also had issues,” Inzaghi told reporters on Sunday as per beIN Sport.
“We will evaluate with the medical staff in the morning to see if they’re fit; as of now, they’re not. But we’re hopeful we can ask them to make some sacrifices.
“At present, we hope to have Acerbi and Pavard return as soon as possible.”
Como have so far struggled to find their feet in Italy’s first division as they currently occupy 15th place on the Serie A standings. However, they travel to San Siro on the back of a big win against AS Roma last week.
Inzaghi revealed his admiration for Como boss Fabregas despite their contrasting fortunes in the league with the Nerazzurri currently sitting pretty in third place and within touching distance of first placed Atalanta.
“I like Fabregas a lot. His principles are clear, and his team plays high-quality football,” Inzaghi said.
“I already followed him in Serie B last year and this year in Serie A, they’ve competed strongly against top teams. Como is a side with great quality and always plays to win.”