When Nicolo Barella Will Return For Inter Milan After Borussia Dortmund Injury Blow
The midfielder will not make the Champions League trip to Germany.
Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella has been ruled out of the trip to Borussia Dortmund.
Fresh Inter Milan Injury Blow – But Nicolo Barella Will Return Soon
Cristian Chivu’s Serie A leaders have been dealt a late blow ahead of their final Champions League league phase game, with their chances of finishing in the top eight hanging in the balance.
Inter can still qualify automatically for the last-16 and avoid a dreaded two-legged play-off, but will need a victory and other results to go their way to sneak over the line.
But on the eve of the showdown, it emerged that Barella had not made the journey to Germany.
The crucial 28-year-old has joined a list of injury absentees also including Denzel Dumfries and Hakan Calhanoglu.
According to Sky Sport, he will miss out in Dortmund after suffering a muscle strain. Barella will be assessed over the coming days to determine whether he will be able to return quicker than expected.
However, a definitive timeframe has not yet been placed on his recovery.
Inter return to domestic duties at Cremonese on Sunday, with a decision on Barella to be delayed.
Inter Milan Team News
Chivu will go back to the drawing board with Barella and Calhanoglu, both regular starters in midfield, out.
According to Calciomercato, Petar Sucic, Piotr Zielinski and Davide Frattesi will start, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan could also feature.
Barella will be a significant miss for Inter. He has featured 29 times across all competitions, scoring one goal.
He arrived at the San Siro from Cagliari in 2019 and has established himself as a club great, playing a total of 319 games and netting 26 times. Barella has won seven trophies in Milan, including two Serie A titles.
Notably, he was also instrumental in his side’s run to two Champions League finals in the past three seasons.
Calhanoglu Back Earlier Than Expected
In a timely boost, Calhanoglu will return from injury sooner than expected.
The Turkish international sustained a calf issue during Inter’s 2-2 draw with Napoli earlier this month and has missed the last three matches across all competitions.
While the match in Dortmund will come too soon, he could return in early February against Sassuolo. Indeed, Calhanoglu is on track to at least make an appearance from the bench.
He could then start against Juventus on February 15.
Dan Davis
Dan is an experienced sports journalist and part-time lecturer. An expert on Serie A and Italian football, he has produced content for the likes of the Daily Mail, Reach PLC, GiveMeSport, FourFourTwo and GRV Media. While Channel 4's iconic Football Italia was a bit before his time, the nostalgia - and pastries - fuelled his love of all things Calcio.
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