Martinez ruled out of Inter tilt with Lecce
Inter are set to be without influential striker Lautaro Martinez through injury, ahead of a busy period that starts against Lecce in Serie A on Saturday.
According to Italian media, Martinez is set to be sidelined for around a month after suffering a calf injury during Inter's shock Champions League play-off first leg loss to Bodo/Glimt in midweek.
The Argentinian went off in the second half, and Inter confirmed the injury following medical tests on Friday.
Inter have the second leg against the Norwegian side next week, as well as league clashes with Genoa, rivals AC Milan and Atalanta, and a Coppa Italia semi-final first leg against Como during his expected time out.
"The examinations revealed a strain to the soleus muscle in his left calf. The condition of the Argentine forward will be reassessed next week," Inter said in a statement released on their website.
Inter are top of the pile in Serie A heading into the weekend, holding a seven-point lead over Milan at the summit.
They face a Lecce side who moved out of the relegation zone after back-to-back wins, and they now have a three-point buffer over the drop.
Inter, meanwhile, are on a six-game winning streak in Serie A after a 3-2 win over Juventus last weekend.
Considering a manager's first 25 top-flight games in charge of the club, Cristian Chivu has achieved the most wins, recording 20 victories in 25 matches (80%), along with one draw and four defeats.
Their win over Juventus was overshadowed by a red card to Pierre Kalulu, with Chivu defending the referee's decision despite Alessandro Bastoni seemingly diving to earn it, having previously refused to discuss the controversial officiating.
But former Italian coach Fabio Capello was not impressed by Chivu's backtracking on the subject.
"I know Chivu very well, as he was one of my players at Roma, but his words after the game deeply disappointed me," he said in his column for Gazzetta dello Sport.
"The Inter coach was not consistent with what he had said on the eve of the match, and in the end, he gave the impression of justifying what happened.
"More than his words, however, his actions matter [Bastoni was substituted at half-time]. I would have expected statements of a very different tone, especially after a victory."
