Inter go to Venezia on Wednesday at 18.30, and the bigger issue is what Cristian Chivu does with his team before the Venezia vs Inter fixture and the Milan derby on Saturday 31 October. Marcus Thuram is one of several possible rotation candidates, alongside Alessandro Bastoni, Nicolò Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu. Chivu has a schedule problem more than a selection problem.

Chivu's rotation call

The case for changes starts with the calendar. Inter have Venezia on Wednesday, then AC Milan waiting on Saturday, and Feyenoord after that. A heavy week like that usually forces a manager to protect legs somewhere, and Thuram looks the most obvious candidate after his recent workload.

That view fits the numbers. Thuram has 5 Serie A goals in 7 appearances and still carries a 7.76 rating, which is why resting him would be about timing rather than form. Alessandro Bastoni has already played 559 Serie A minutes too, so the idea of trimming his load is not a surprise. Bastoni, Barella and Calhanoglu are all listed as possible rotation choices, not confirmed absentees, and that distinction matters.

Inter's league position against Venezia's fight

Inter can make that kind of call because the league table gives them room. They are top of Serie A with 22 points from eight matches and remain unbeaten after a 7W-1D-0L start. They have also scored 23 Serie A goals, which is a strong base for any rotation discussion.

Venezia are in a different place. They sit bottom with 3 points from eight league games and have conceded 17, so the mismatch is obvious even before team news is finalised. Inter have won the last five meetings with Venezia, and they have also won their last two visits to Venice without conceding.

The last trip to San Siro also went Inter's way in a different manner, with a 2-1 comeback against Fiorentina and Piotr Zielinski converting the stoppage-time penalty. That kind of result gives Chivu a bit more freedom to manage the squad here, but the derby timing still makes this a week to be careful. Venezia will want the upset, yet Inter's priority is arriving fresh for AC Milan on Saturday, not chasing extra minutes at 18.30 on Wednesday.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →