Benjamin Pavard has rejoined group training, but Lautaro Martínez is still working separately and Alessandro Bastoni is suspended for Inter's trip to Feyenoord. Pavard, who has only three Serie A appearances and 211 minutes this season, has returned after several weeks and trained partially with the rest of the squad at Appiano Gentile. Lautaro remains in the treatment room, while the suspension means Cristian Chivu has another problem to solve at the back.
Pavard's return and the asterisk around it
There is a split in the coverage for good reason. TuttoMercatoWeb have suggested Pavard could start against Feyenoord, but other reports point the other way and the safer reading is that he is back in the group, not locked into the line-up. He has only 45 Champions League minutes this season, so even a return to the squad would be a step, not a full reset.
Marcus Thuram has kept some attacking output going with five goals and two assists in nine Serie A appearances, yet the bigger loss is still Lautaro. He has four Serie A goals and two Champions League appearances with one goal and one assist, which is why Sky Sport Italia pundit Pioli's line, in comments translated from Italian, lands so cleanly: "There is an Inter with Lautaro and one without".
Inter's margin for error in Rotterdam
The trip to Feyenoord vs Inter comes with more than one layer of pressure. Inter and Feyenoord are level on three points after three games in the Champions League league phase, and Inter sit 26th with one win and two defeats.
Calciomercato.it also reported Inter were expected for the match against Feyenoord after the 3-1 derby defeat to AC Milan, with the focus already shifting to the Champions League response. That is the practical problem for Chivu, because the cleanest available team is still missing pieces. Feyenoord are not the only obstacle in Rotterdam, and Tuesday evening at De Kuip gives Inter another test before the break.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
