Inter hopeful of Martinez return for Barca after edging past Verona

Inter are hopeful Lautaro Martinez tin flooded a hamstring wounded to diagnostic successful Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final 2nd limb against Barcelona.

The Argentina striker limped disconnected astatine half-time successful a thrilling 3-3 first-leg gully past Wednesday against Barcelona.

Martinez subsequently missed Saturday’s constrictive 1-0 triumph implicit Hellas Verona that kept Inter 3 points down Serie A leaders Napoli with 3 games to play.

“It is existent that it’s not a lesion, truthful determination is simply a small hope, but astatine the infinitesimal it’s much nary than yes,” adjunct Massimiliano Farris said, covering suspended caput manager Simone Inzaghi.

“He hasn’t trained, we’ll effort everything of people due to the fact that it is simply a cardinal match, but it’s much nary than yes close now, unfortunately.”

Kristjan Asllani’s ninth-minute punishment proved the difference, with that victor marking his archetypal Serie A extremity since March 2024 against Genoa.

Indeed, nary squad person scored much goals by punishment than Inter (seven) successful this season’s competition, with Roma besides scoring seven.

MVP #ForzaInter #InterVerona pic.twitter.com/VnkmxRflYD

— Inter (@Inter) May 3, 2025

Inter made 10 changes to their starting line-up for the sojourn of Verona, their astir from 1 lucifer to different successful each competitions since December 2015, a 3-0 Coppa Italia triumph against Cagliari.

Defender Yann Bisseck was the lone subordinate to support his place, though Farris refused to statement his winning broadside arsenic second-choice options.

“Rather than referring to it arsenic a secondary team, I would picture it arsenic a radical of players with constricted playing time, but who are afloat alert of what is expected of them,” helium added.

The visitors offered small threat, with guardant Amin Sarr providing their lone existent spark with an angled onslaught that forced Josep Martinez into a crisp save.

Verona lone accumulated 0.29 expected goals passim a drab showing but Farris says his broadside expected the distant squad to beryllium backmost and beryllium contented to defend.

“We knew Verona would beryllium compact, and it wasn’t casual to find gaps. Maybe successful the 2nd half, we could person been quicker successful immoderate decisions, but we didn’t look galore superior dangers,” Farris told Sky Sport Italia.