Formation change: Inter could deploy Pio Esposito as sole striker against Milan

Inter Milan may be without both Lautaro Martinez and Ange-Yoan Bonny for the Derby della Madonnina. Either Pio Esposito or Marcus Thuram will feature up front for the Nerazzurri.

Davide Frattesi is expected to play just behind, in what will be the first time a singular striker has been used by Inter since last season.

Just days before the Champions League final, on the final day of 2024/25, Inzaghi deployed a 3-4-2-1 with Joaquin Correa and Nicola Zalewski supporting Mehdi Taremi.

It was a formation used against Torino two matchdays earlier, and both games ended in 2-0 wins. Yet another repeat of this score line would be welcomed against Milan, with the tifosi hoping that Inter’s march to the title remains uninterrupted. The Nerazzurri arrive to the weekend fixture with a 10-point lead.

First, though, focus trains on the trip to Como in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final, which provides a chance to rehearse this shape. In his 44 matches so far, Chivu has only once deployed a formation other than the 3-5-2.

This was at the Club World Cup, where the Romanian deployed a variation of a 3-4-2-1 against Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds, with Zalewski and Sebastiano Esposito behind Lautaro. From then on, Chivu has always chosen two pure strikers.

GIFN | Max Bradfield