Key Inter Milan Duo Receive Gloomy Injury Verdict Ahead Of Italian Super Cup

Inter Milan’s Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi face a race against time to return from injury before the Italian Super Cup.

Calhanoglu May Play, Acerbi Likely Out

Both players were forced off in the first half of the 1-0 defeat against Liverpool in the Champions League.

Adding to Inter’s misery, the visitors were awarded a “scandalous” late penalty after Alessandro Bastoni tugged back Florian Wirtz.

Calhanoglu went down in only the 11th minute at the San Siro and requested a substitution. An initial diagnosis is related to his right adductor, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

A serious strain, the worst-case scenario, would rule him out for several weeks, including during the Super Cup.

Acerbi was also taken off after attempting to chase down Hugo Ekitike’s cross. There is concern that he suffered a strain to his flexors in his right thigh – a more complicated situation than Calhanoglou’s.

Delivering a downbeat update as he walked through the mixed zone, he told reporters he was feeling “so-so”.

The duo will undergo tests on Thursday to determine whether they can travel to Saudi Arabia in the coming days.

Inter will jet out to Riyadh on December 17 before playing Bologna in their semi-final on December 19.

Acerbi, 37, is believed to be all but ruled out, while there is a glimmer of hope for playmaker Calhanoglu.

Cristian Chivu Rues Double Inter Injury Blow

Liverpool clinched the controversial victory after Szoboszlai’s 88th-minute penalty, Bastoni having fouled Wirtz.

Replays showed the contact was soft, and referee Felix Zwayer was branded “incompetent”.

The enforced withdrawals of Calhanoglu and Acerbi meant Inter boss Cristian Chivu waited until the dying stages to make his remaining three changes, having been given just one final slot to use.

Speaking post-match, he admitted the injuries had affected his team.

“A draw was the right result considering how the game was going,” Chivu told Sky Sport Italia.

“We didn’t have enough energy in the first half and struggled with their intensity, but then we found the right key to create problems for them.

“That was after being forced into making two substitutions, which meant in the second half we couldn’t make more changes.”

He added: “We should’ve been sharper with some of our choices in the final third, but ultimately we were affected by those two forced changes.”