Cristian Chivu hit back at criticism over his Inter side, saying that he has "a thousand other things to think about" ahead of this weekend's clash with Sassuolo.

Inter's quest to reclaim their Serie A title has stumbled in the opening three games of the season, taking just three points, which came on the opening day against Torino. 

Back-to-back defeats have since followed against Udinese and Juventus, though they were able to get back on track in the Champions League in midweek. 

Marcus Thuram scored twice as they downed Ajax 2-0 away from home, but they will be hoping to use that momentum to get their Scudetto aspirations back on track. 

Despite their win on Wednesday, uncertainty still remains around Chivu's philosophy and style of play, though he was quick to respond to those critics with a fiery comeback. 

"I have a thousand other things to think about," Chivu said at the beginning of his pre-match press conference on Saturday.

"The noise from critics is part of the game; it's always been topical. I go about things in my own way, I'm busy doing things to help the players. 

"The team deserves to be defended because it's a strong group. The whole world was talking about them in March, then they had a bit of misfortune.

"We mustn't forget that this team had a quality season. There are a thousand other adjectives I could use. They're keeping me calm."

Chivu was also on hand to discuss the fitness of Lautaro Martinez, who was an unused substitute in their victory over Ajax after complaints of back pain. 

The Inter boss revealed that he had been struggling to walk in the build-up to their Champions League clash, but is not fit and available for selection against Sassuolo. 

Goalkeeper Josep Martinez is expected to be given an opportunity to start over Yann Sommer, meanwhile. 

"Lautaro trained with us today. He always gives his best and has great understanding, even in the difficult moments," Chivu said.

"He couldn't even walk on Wednesday, but he came to sit on the bench and would have been willing to come on. He's available tomorrow. A Martinez will definitely play. 

"Sassuolo are a well-prepared and serious team who can give us trouble. We need to be ready from every point of view."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Inter – Hakan Calhanoglu

Since arriving in Serie A in 2017-18, Calhanoglu (52 goals, 58 assists) is one of four midfielders with more than 50 goals and 50 assists in the top five European leagues.

Indeed, only Bruno Fernandes (64 goals, 51 assists), Kevin De Bruyne (61 goals, 91 assists) and Vincenzo Grifo (62 goals, 57 assists) have managed to achieve that feat. 

Since playing for Inter (2021-22), the Turkish international has also scored 10 goals from outside the area, a total only bettered by De Bruyne (13) among midfielders across Europe's top five leagues. 

Sassuolo – Domenico Berardi

Berardi has scored seven goals at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in his Serie A career – four of which were against Inter – and only at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome (nine) and the Luigi Ferraris in Genoa (eight) has he scored more away from home in the top-flight.

Furthermore, he has been directly involved in five goals (two goals, three assists) in his last four league games against Inter, the last three of which have been away from home, and he will be keen to make his mark again here. 

MATCH PREDICTION: INTER WIN

Games between Inter and Sassuolo are often difficult to call, with both teams registering 10 wins each, with the other two fixtures ending in stalemates.

However, the Neroverdi have won their last two games against this weekend's opponents, and could win three in a row for the first time since August 2018. 

After losing their first two away games against Inter in Serie A, Sassuolo have gone unbeaten in seven of their next nine, winning five of them. The Nerazzurri are the opponents against whom Grosso's team have won the most away games in the top-flight (five).

Inter, meanwhile, know the pressure is on. Should they fail to win, Chivu's side would finish with four or fewer points from their first four Serie A games for the fourth time in the three-points-for-a-win era (since 1994-95) and the first since 2018-19, under Luciano Spalletti.

Inter come into the game having recorded back-to-back losses. Indeed, they have not suffered three consecutive league defeats since April 2023. Only once have the Nerazzurri lost three of their first four games in a top-flight campaign, in 1983-84 under Luigi Radice.

But they have an undeniable quality in the final third. Inter have scored 4.5 more goals than expected (4.5 xG, nine goals scored). Only Bayern Munich (+5.4) have a greater difference than Chivu's side in the top five European leagues in 2025-26.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Inter – 70.2%

Draw – 17.5%

Sassuolo – 12.2%