Inter vs Atalanta – Bastoni likely to miss out, Carlos Augusto steps in
Alessandro Bastoni is set to miss Inter’s Serie A clash with Atalanta after failing to fully recover from the knock he sustained during Sunday’s Milan derby, when the defender was forced off after a foul on Adrien Rabiot.
According to Sky Sport, via FCInter1908, Bastoni has remained in the squad’s training retreat and will be assessed on Friday, but the expectation is that he will not start, and may not even make the bench.
Carlos Augusto is set to deputise on the left of Inter’s back three in his absence.
The situation also has a knock-on effect on Cristian Chivu’s other defensive decisions.
Inter vs Atalanta – Chivu weighs defensive dilemma with Bastoni struggling
Should Francesco Acerbi be passed fit to start, Chivu would likely shift Manuel Akanji to the right centre-back role, with Yann Bisseck dropping to the bench as a result.
Elsewhere, there are two other selection battles to resolve.
In midfield, Petar Sucic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are competing for a starting berth, while on the right flank Denzel Dumfries faces competition from Luis Henrique.
Despite Dumfries being fit again following his lengthy injury absence, Chivu may opt to ease him back gradually rather than throwing him straight into a fixture of this magnitude, a cautious but understandable approach given the Dutchman has been sidelined for months.