Inter Milan defender Benjamin Pavard faces a spell on the sidelines after suffering a dislocated kneecap.
The 27-year-old was forced off in the first half of Inter’s 2-1 Serie A win at Atalanta on Saturday.
“Benjamin Pavard underwent a medical examination at the Humanitas Institute in Rozzano this morning,” the Serie A leaders said in a statement on Monday.
“The tests ascertain that he has suffered a dislocated kneecap.
“The French defender will need to wear a knee brace for 3/4 weeks before starting his rehabilitation process.”
World Cup winner Pavard joined Inter from Bayern Munich at the end of August and has made nine appearances for the Nerazzurri.
Inter Milan extended their unbeaten start in Champions League Group D with a 2-1 win over Red Bull Salzburg at San Siro.
Oscar Gloukh gave the Austrians hope when he cancelled out an opener from Alexis Sanchez but Hakan Calhanoglu’s second-half penalty extended the fine form of Simone Inzaghi’s side.
Inter bounced into the game off the back of a 3-0 win over Torino on Saturday but found themselves up against it early on against confident opponents who had started their campaign with an eye-catching 2-0 win at Benfica.
Gloukh had the first chance when he rifled a fifth-minute chance straight at Inter keeper Yann Sommer, and the same player combined well with Maurits Kjaergaard only for the Dane to mis-kick straight at the Swiss stopper.
Inter barely threatened in the opening quarter of an hour but they snatched the lead against the run of play in the 19th minute when Davide Frattesi swept up a pass from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and played a neat ball to Sanchez who fired home.
The goal galvanised the hosts who pushed for a second and Salzburg defender Amar Dedic almost presented them one when he deflected a cross from Denzel Dumfries inches wide of his own goal.
Calhanoglu’s set-pieces posed a constant threat to the Austrian defence while Sanchez played in Lautaro Martinez who flashed a shot across the face of goal.
Inter continued in the ascendency early in the second half but it was Salzburg’s turn to break through against the run of play in the 57th minute after Kjaergaard dealt well with a long ball out of defence from Roko Simic.
The Dane found Gloukh, who rounded off a brilliant team move by shooting beyond Sommer and giving his side realistic hopes of another momentous scalp.
But Salzburg’s revival lasted just eight minutes before Frattesi fell under a careless challenge by Lucas Gourna-Douath in the box and Calhanoglu duly stepped up to send visiting keeper Alexander Schlager the wrong way.
Augusto powered a cross by Matteo Darmian straight at Schlager while Martinez blazed a good chance over the bar as Inter looked to make the game safe.
Inzaghi’s men thought they were home and dry 10 minutes from time when Frattesi’s ball across the box fell to Martinez, who fired home before VAR ruled Frattesi offside.
Salzburg failed to find the breakthrough they required and Inter played out the remaining minutes relatively comfortably to cement their status as the team to beat in Group D.
Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi has urged his side to improve their concentration as they visit Torino on Saturday.
Inter lost ground at the top of Serie A when they threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at home to Bologna, allowing city rivals AC Milan to open up a two-point lead.
A tough test awaits when they head to Turin and Inzaghi knows his side cannot afford any more lapses.
“There will be a need for a very high concentration and desire to do well because a very difficult match awaits us. Intense,” he told Inter TV.
“We are working hard on the defensive organisation. The league table and performance in Europe say we are doing well, but we need to improve again: in the last match, for example, we conceded two clearly avoidable goals and therefore we must make progress day after day.
“The whole team must participate in the non-possession phase.
“Preparing for the first game back from a break is never easy. Most of the players got back on Wednesday, the South Americans yesterday.
“We know that Torino are a good team with a coach in his third year with them. We’ll need a great Inter performance.”
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Scoring goals is certainly not a problem, with 21 in eight games, but Inzaghi thinks there is more to come.
“It’s true, we score a lot and with different players, but we know that we can still improve this figure,” he added. “By training as best we can and finding more goals also with our defenders, with the midfielders.”
Captain Lautaro Martinez has been at the forefront of that, scoring 11 goals in 10 appearances.
“Lautaro is a player with a huge sense of belonging,” Inzaghi added. “He’s improved a lot in the last couple of years and, of course, the armband has given him more responsibility. He also has top team-mates who always try to set him up.”
Inter will assess their players, including Nicolo Barella, as they return from international duty.
Inter Milan blew a two-goal to drop points at the top of Serie A as Bologna earned a 2-2 draw at the San Siro.
Inter looked set to move clear at the summit of the table after they burst into a 2-0 lead after just 13 minutes as Francesco Acerbi and Lautaro Martinez scored.
But mid-table Bologna hit back, with Bendetta Orsolini scoring from the penalty spot before the break and Joshua Zirkzee earned a point after the break.
The result was a big boost for Inter’s city rivals AC Milan, who play at Genoa later on Saturday and go three points ahead with a win.
Although the hosts made a fast start, it was Bologna that almost drew first blood as former Aberdeen midfielder Lewis Ferguson hit the post in an open start to the match.
But it was the hosts that soon took control as Acerbi headed home from Hakan Calhanoglu’s corner in the 11th minute.
Two minutes later it was 2-0 as Martinez doubled the lead in style, rocketing a 25-yard shot into the top corner for his 10th goal of the season, becoming just the third Inter player in history to reach double figures in the opening eight matches.
Bologna were shell-shocked, but they responded well and were awarded an 18th-minute penalty when VAR spotted an infringement at a corner, with Martinez ruled to have fouled Ferguson.
Orsolini converted from 12 yards, though Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer may be disappointed after he got a hand to it.
Inter should have restored their two-goal lead eight minutes before the break as both Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Calhanoglu found space in the area but could not get a shot away.
Bologna responded well after the break and levelled seven minutes after the restart.
Zirkzee got the ball on the edge of the area and wrong-footed Sommer, shooting into the near post to make it 2-2.
Inter thought they had regained the lead on the hour when Sanchez converted Carlos Augusto’s cross, but it was ruled out for offside.
Boss Simone Inzhagi’s frustration boiled over and he received a yellow card in protestations at refereeing decisions.
His mood did not improve as Martinez then flashed a header just wide from a corner as they pushed to regain the lead.
The pressure mounted in the final 10 minutes with Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski beating away Augusto’s shot before the same player headed over at the death.
Inter Milan are hoping to have Davide Frattesi available for Saturday’s clash with Bologna.
The Italy international suffered a muscle injury in the defeat at Sassuolo 10 days ago and missed the Serie A clash with Salernitana and the Champions League win over Benfica in midweek.
He trained on Friday and boss Simone Inzaghi will decide whether to risk him for Bologna’s visit to the San Siro.
Marko Arnautovic did not train with the group and will miss out.
Inter sit top of Serie A on goal difference ahead of their rivals AC Milan after a strong start to the season.
Defender Carlos Augusto is loving life at the San Siro following his loan move from Monza.
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The 24-year-old Brazilian has featured nine times for his new team and already knows what is expected.
“It’s going very well,” he said in an interview with DAZN, reported by La Gazzetta Dello Sport.
“The group and the staff have helped me a lot to get used to the new surroundings as best as possible and I’m very happy to help my team-mates. We are a family where everyone helps each other and for this reason, we are doing well.
“Inter aims to always win in all competitions, we want the title, but also the Italian Cup and to get as high as possible in the Champions League, this is what this team is, we want to win everything, always.”
Bologna have only lost once this season – a 2-0 reverse to AC Milan – so they will present a difficult challenge to Inter.
However, they will be without injured trio Stefan Posch, Jhon Lukumi, and Adama Soumaoro.
Domenico Berardi fired a stunning winner as Sassuolo hit back to halt Inter Milan’s 100 per cent start to the Serie A season with a 2-1 win at San Siro.
Italy forward Berardi crashed home a swerving shot from outside the penalty area after Nedim Bajrami’s second-half equaliser had cancelled out Denzel Dumfries’ opener for Inter.
Simone Inzaghi’s side had won all of their opening five league matches to top the table, but Sassuolo produced a second upset in the space of four days after beating Juventus 4-2 at home on Saturday.
Sassuolo made an encouraging start, enjoying an equal share of possession as neither side created a clear scoring chance in the first 30 minutes.
Inter then sparked into life when Nicolo Barella sent Dumfries sprinting down the right, with the latter’s excellent cross headed just over by Marcus Thuram.
Thuram then missed when well placed from another ball in from Dumfries before Jeremy Toljan provided Sassuolo’s best first-half chance as his fierce angled effort was well saved by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Sommer was alert again to keep out Bajrami’s low shot before Inter broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time.
Dumfries cut inside on the right edge of the penalty area and arrowed a low finish into the bottom corner for his second goal of the season.
Martin Erlic headed a golden chance wide for Sassuolo from Berardi’s brilliant cross, but the visitors drew level in the 54th minute.
Berardi was again the provider as his slide-rule pass on the right side of the area was hammered home by Bajrami, with Sommer furious he had allowed the ball to beat him at the near post.
It got worse for Inter soon after. Berardi was allowed to cut inside from the right on to his left foot and he unleashed a brilliant, dipping shot that nestled inside Sommer’s far post.
Inter boss Inzaghi sent on substitutes Carlos Augusto, Stefan de Vrij and Davide Frattesi soon after and the latter forced visiting goalkeeper Andrea Consigli into a low save.
Sassuolo dealt comfortably with Inter’s bid to get back on terms and Armand Lauriente sliced his chance to extend the visitors’ lead wide in the 85th minute.
Lauriente then saw a better effort that would have settled it saved by Sommer before Francesco Acerbi fired straight at Consigli and Lautaro Martinez shot narrowly wide in stoppage time.
Lautaro Martinez’s late equaliser rescued disappointing Inter Milan a 1-1 Champions League draw against Real Sociedad at the Estadio de Anoeta.
Last year’s beaten finalists Inter had failed to have a single shot on target in their opening Group D tie when captain Martinez fired home in the 87th minute.
Brais Mendez had given Sociedad an early lead but the Spaniards, back in the Champions League for the first time since 2013-14, were cruelly punished after twice hitting the woodwork.
Inter thrashed city rivals AC Milan 5-1 on Saturday, but were a shadow of the side which have won their first four Serie A matches.
Sociedad lost 2-1 at Real Madrid on Sunday and have won only one of their first five LaLiga games, but went straight on the offensive.
Ander Barrenetxea had already hit the crossbar before Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni slipped in possession, allowing Mendez a free shot on goal, which he buried.
Marko Arnautovic headed Inter’s best chance before the break wide, but Sociedad went close to extending their lead.
Robin Le Normand’s diving header from Takefusa Kubo’s excellent cross flew inches over the bar and the impressive Kubo forced Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer into a low save just before half-time.
Sommer made an even better save early in the second period to keep out Mikel Oyarzabal’s header as Sociedad chased another goal.
Le Normand’s header was blocked before Inter were given a reprieve in the 65th minute after referee Michael Oliver had shown Inter’s Nicolo Barella a straight red card.
The Italy midfielder appeared to stamp on goalscorer Mendez, but Oliver rescinded his decision after being asked to check the pitchside monitor by VAR.
Mikel Merino then headed another cross from Kubo against the bar for Sociedad as Inter failed to pose an attacking threat.
Simone Inzaghi’s side had mustered one attempt on goal throughout the game when they thought they had equalised.
Carlos Augusto side-footed home Alexis Sanchez’s low cross into the area in the 79th minute, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
But in the 87th minute the Italians levelled it up with their first shot on target.
Martinez raced on to Davide Frattesi’s low diagonal ball into the box and lifted a superb first-time shot over Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro.
Inter Milan begin their latest bid for Champions League glory with Simone Inzaghi looking to replicate last season’s glorious run.
Inter made it all the way to the final in July only to come up short in a narrow 1-0 defeat against the new champions, and English treble winners, Manchester City in Istanbul.
They face Real Sociedad in the Group D opener on Wednesday looking to make a strong start to their continental campaign.
“It was a great journey,” Inzaghi told reporters. “This year it starts again against a strong team. We will play it like last year, knowing that it will be difficult to repeat what we did, but that we want to try again.”
Inter travel to Spain buoyant on the back of a thumping 5-1 win over AC Milan in the first derby of the season.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored twice with Marcus Thuram, Hakan Calhanoglu and Davide Frattesi also on target at San Siro.
However, Turkey midfielder Calhanoglu will not be available to Inzaghi due to a thigh strain.
Striker Lautaro Martinez, who is forming a promising partnership with Thuram, said: “We are a new team, with some new players. I am happy with the work we are doing, but this is a long journey, we are still at the beginning, so I can’t say for sure.
“But we will work as we have always done with the coach and his staff.”
La Real are back among Europe’s elite for the first time in 10 years after finishing fourth in LaLiga last season.
Coach Imanol Alguacil believes his side can spring an early surprise.
He said: “We are playing at home, against an opponent who were one step away from winning this competition last season.
“We will play with respect and humility, but this is the Champions League, and we have to get on the pitch, give it our all and try to win.”
Winger Mikel Oyarzabal wants the crowd at the Reale Arena to play its part.
“We have shown in recent years that we can give anyone a game,” he said.
“This team always competes and gives its all, and I don’t think tomorrow will be any different.
“We have to play with the hunger and the spirit that our stadium transmits to us, and then we have to maintain the desire to win.”
Inter Milan head coach Simone Inzaghi has signed a contract extension with the Serie A club.
After spending two years at San Siro, Inzaghi’s new deal will see him remain in charge of Inter until 2025.
He arrived from Lazio in 2021, taking over from the outgoing Antonio Conte, and his tenure in charge has so far seen Inter win the Coppa Italia twice and claim two Supercoppa Italiana titles.
They also reached the Champions League final last season, but were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City in Istanbul.
Inter are currently top of the table this season having won all three of their opening games and their next match after the international break sees them come up against city rivals AC Milan.
Lautaro Martinez scored a second-half brace as Inter Milan moved top of Serie A after easing to a 4-0 victory over Fiorentina to extend their 100 per cent start to the season at San Siro.
The hosts began to press from the off and Denzel Dumfries half-tested returning Fiorentina goalkeeper Oliver Christensen – who missed Thursday’s Europa Conference League qualifying play-off with Rapid Vienna – with an easy shot.
Marcus Thuram headed Dumfries’ cross straight at Christensen after 11 minutes as Inter looked for an opener.
Eight minutes later, the home side came close with their first real chance of note as Thuram continued to cause Fiorentina problems but he fired over the crossbar after a nice run.
The summer signing from Borussia Monchengladbach did finally break the deadlock with his first goal for Inter midway through the first half.
Federico Dimarco whipped in a well-timed cross to pick out Thuram, whose powerful header from the centre of the box beat Christensen.
The hosts came close to doubling their lead on the half-hour mark and Thuram was again well placed to claim his brace but he could not turn Alessandro Bastoni’s cross home as he fired over.
The Viola were pushing hard for an equaliser as the half started to draw to a close but were yet to really test Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
While – at the other end – a brilliant Inter free-kick from Turkey midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu was well kept out by the diving Christensen and Thuram fired another wasted chance over on the stroke of half-time.
Fiorentina looked like they might try their luck early in the second half but were easily thwarted by the Nerazzurri, who proved too strong for their opponents and found their rhythm soon afterwards.
The hosts doubled their lead – following a chance where Dumfries struck the post – after 53 minutes as Martinez went on a run from outside the box and slotted home Thuram’s cross with a great strike straight down the middle.
Inter were given the chance to extend their lead further before the half-hour mark as they were awarded a penalty for a foul by Christensen on Thuram.
Calhanoglu made no mistake to score his first goal of the season as he sent his powerful spot-kick to the keeper’s bottom-left, leaving Christensen diving down to his right.
Inter continued to dominate and put the result beyond doubt with 17 minutes remaining as Martinez tapped the ball home after beating his opponent to substitute Juan Cuadrado’s inch-perfect cross into the box.
Fiorentina could find no reply as the hosts kept their clean-sheet record intact for the season while moving above rivals AC Milan at the top of the table.
Simone Inzaghi knows Inter Milan will need to maintain their standards against Fiorentina at San Siro on Sunday.
Inzaghi’s side have picked up maximum points from their first two Serie A matches after 2-0 wins over Monza and Cagliari.
He told the club’s official website: “We’ve started with real determination; the lads have been excellent. We’ve played two matches, and tomorrow we have another very important game. We’ll be as determined as we always are whenever we take to the pitch.
“We know we’ll be facing an excellent side who are well coached and have excellent players. In the past couple of years, we’ve played them many times and they’ve all been difficult games. We’ll need to approach the match in the best way possible.
“In terms of playing principles, both teams make use of the flanks, which will obviously be the case tomorrow, too. We’ll need to cover the pitch in the best way possible because we know that Fiorentina occupy all areas of the pitch very well.”
Inter Milan, Champions League runners-up last term, had a major overhaul of players in the summer.
The likes of Andre Onana, Marcelo Brozovic, Robin Gosens and Edin Dzeko all went to new clubs while Romelu Lukaku’s loan stay expired.
The arrivals of Benjamin Pavard, Alexis Sanchez and Marcus Thuram along with others have boosted the squad and Inzaghi is happy with the options he has at his disposal.
He added: “For 50 days now, the lads have been working on our principles and many other things that we know we need to improve.
“My staff and I are very satisfied because we see on a daily basis how the boys try to follow our instructions.
“They’re working very well. We know that there have been some big changes this year. We’ve lost some important players who did very well for us, but we’ve brought in some equally important players. Some of them are more experienced, and they’ll help our younger lads to integrate as quickly as possible.”
Inter Milan lost 1-0 to Manchester City in last season’s Champions League final.
On Thursday, they learned of their 2023 group-stage opponents and Inzaghi thinks his side will face a “competitive” start to the tournament.
He added: “We were eagerly anticipating the draw. Last year, we knew how difficult our group was.
“This year, meanwhile, we’re in a very competitive group. We know all about Benfica, who we faced in the quarter-finals last season, while Salzburg are a strong and young side who have been involved in the Champions League for many years now.
“Real Sociedad play some excellent football and did really well in LaLiga last year. It’ll be very competitive, and we’ll try to ensure that we’re ready when the time comes.”
Inter Milan have announced the signing of midfielder Davy Klaassen from Ajax.
The 30-year-old has signed a two-year deal with Simone Inzaghi’s side which will take him to at least the summer of 2025.
Klaassen’s contract at Ajax was due to expire at the end of the season and he has been allowed to join the Italian side for free.
Klaassen has been capped 41 times by the Netherlands, scoring on 10 occasions and will now move to Italy for the first time in his career.
He becomes Inter’s sixth signing of the summer after Marcus Thuram, Francesco Acerbi, Yann Sommer, Benjamin Pavard and Alexis Sanchez all signed for the club earlier in the window.
Klaassen said on Inter’s twitter feed: “I think I’m an all round midfield player who can help the team in attack and defence and I want to win a lot of games and a lot of trophies with Inter.”
Inter Milan have announced the signing of midfielder Davy Klaassen from Ajax.
The 30-year-old has signed a two-year deal with Simone Inzaghi’s side which will take him to at least the summer of 2025.
Klaassen’s contract at Ajax was due to expire at the end of the season and he has been allowed to join the Italian side for free.
Klaassen has been capped 41 times by the Netherlands, scoring on 10 occasions and will now move to Italy for the first time in his career.
He becomes Inter’s sixth signing of the summer after Marcus Thuram, Francesco Acerbi, Yann Sommer, Benjamin Pavard and Alexis Sanchez all signed for the club earlier in the window.
Klaassen said on Inter’s twitter feed: “I think I’m an all round midfield player who can help the team in attack and defence and I want to win a lot of games and a lot of trophies with Inter.”
Inter Milan have announced the signing of former Juventus winger Juan Cuadrado.
The 35-year-old has joined Inter on a one-year deal after arriving at the San Siro on a free transfer.
Cuadrado was a free agent following the end of his Juventus contract this summer, after a successful spell at the club in which he won 11 trophies in eight years.
Cuadrado has also had spells in Italy with Udinese, Lecce and Fiorentina and made the move to Juve in 2017 permanent following a two-year loan spell from Chelsea.
“I’m delighted and would like to thank God for this opportunity. For me, it’s an honour to be here at one of the biggest teams in Europe. I’m happy,” Cuadrado told the Inter website.
“I had many offers, but Italy is a second home for me. My family is very attached to this country, and there was the opportunity to stay here and play for a big team with a fantastic history.
“I chose Inter because we all know what they represent on a global level. The important thing is for my family and I to feel good. We had the opportunity to remain in a place that, for us, is home. It’ll definitely be the best choice.”
Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana is set to join Manchester United after a deal was struck with both player and club, the PA news agency understands.
The 27-year-old shot-stopper has been top of Erik ten Hag’s wish list this summer as United replace long-serving David De Gea.
United have now reached an agreement with Serie A side Inter to sign Onana for an initial 51m euros (£43.8m) with a potential further 4m euros (£3.4m) in add-ons.
Personal terms are also understood to have been agreed with the goalkeeper, who is set to sign a five-year deal with the option of a further season.
A medical is imminent but it remains to be seen whether the respective paperwork will be completed in time for Onana to be on Wednesday’s flight to the United States for their pre-season tour.
The Cameroon international will become United’s second signing of the summer after bringing in Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount earlier in the month for an initial £55m.
The goalkeeper should slot seamlessly into Ten Hag’s system thanks to his ability and confidence on the ball, which he used to great effect at Inter and prior to that under the Dutchman at Ajax.
A new goalkeeper had not initially been a key priority for the United boss this summer, but towards the end of the campaign it was decided to pursue a new number one.
Onana is now set to succeed De Gea after his recent departure on a free transfer, while speculation continues over the future of Dean Henderson and Tom Heaton.
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