Inter’s forwards and midfielders face immediate selection consequences, with Marcus Thuram sidelined by a fever and Hakan Calhanoglu dropped from the start, opening spots for Samuel Bonny and Henrikh Mkhitaryan; 2: 45 p. m. ET — the teams’ official lineups and pre-match reports set those changes.
Thuram’s illness hands Samuel Bonny a starting chance for Cristian Chivu’s Inter
Inter will start with Samuel Bonny and Pio Esposito leading the line, a direct result of Marcus Thuram’s overnight febrile episode. The official Inter lineup lists Esposito with the number 94 and Bonny with 14 in the forward positions, and Thuram is not in the starting XI; team notes indicate Thuram could still occupy a bench role.
Ac Milan – Inter: Chivu’s midfield picks bench Calhanoglu and start Mkhitaryan
Chivu rearranged midfield duties by placing Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the starting five and moving Hakan Calhanoglu to the bench. The Inter midfield in the official formation shows Nicolo Barella wearing 23 alongside Piotr Zielinski and Mkhitaryan, with Zielinski assigned the regista role and Barella as the right mezzala.
Allegri’s Milan selection keeps Estupiñán and the Pulisic–Leão front pairing
Milan lines up in a 3-5-2 with Pulisic and Leão as the attacking duo and Pervis Estupiñán in the left midfield slot. The defensive trio is Tomori, De Winter and Pavlovic; the midfield five lists Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric and Rabiot completing the central block. Milan’s bench includes recovered Bartesaghi as a substitute option.
Inter’s starting goalkeeper is Sommer, and the back three named are Bisseck, Akanji and Bastoni, while wing options include Luis Henrique and Dimarco on the left. Those selections reflect eight changes cited for Inter compared with the recent Coppa Italia match: Sommer, Akanji, Luis Henrique, Dimarco, Barella, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan and the front pair decision between Bonny and Thuram.
Squad availability shifted the pre-match calculus: Calhanoglu is present among substitutes with shirt number 20, offering Chivu an in-game option, and Dumfries is listed on the bench ready to enter the match in the second half. Milan’s named substitutes include goalkeeper Terracciano and forwards such as Füllkrug and Nkunku among others.
If Marcus Thuram recovers from the febrile episode, Chivu could still use him as a bench option rather than in the starting XI, which would remove Bonny from the initial forward pairing.
