Cristian Chivu has provided an update on Marcus Thuram’s worrying fitness situation ahead of the European match between Inter Milan and Royal Union SG.
In his pre-match press conference via FCInterNews, the 44-year-old also outlined Inter’s ambitions for this season.
In addition to bouncing back from a disappointing start in Serie A, Inter have also gone from strength to strength in the Champions League.
In fact, the San Siro giants defeated Ajax and Slavia Prague in the opening two matches.
With both wins resulting in ‘nil’, the Nerazzurri could rewrite club history tomorrow at Lotto Park.
By the way, Inter have never kept a clean sheet in the first three games of a Champions League season.
However, with 10 clean sheets in their last 11 group stage games, it looks like that is a possibility.
Therefore, Cristian Chivu was able to write his name in the record books.
Meanwhile, Ange-Joan Bony is in contention for another start, with Marcus Thuram remaining on the sidelines.
Cristian Chivu, Marcus Thuram sent off from Royal Union SG vs. Inter Milan
Unlike Thuram, Lautaro Martinez was at Chivu’s disposal in Saturday’s Serie A match against Roma.
However, El Toro failed to impress at the Stadio Olimpico, but will probably start tomorrow.
“Lautaro is doing well,” Kivu said. “He didn’t have any further problems, he just had problems before the Roma game.
“His actions on the field, his playing time, helped him beat the cold.”
Meanwhile, Thuram is reportedly at risk of missing Inter’s trip to Napoli next weekend.
“He recovered today and trained regularly, whereas Marcus needs a few more days.
“I can’t say much because we are working on his recovery, but he probably won’t be available for Napoli.”
Asked exactly how Thuram might join the team for the trip to the Maradona Stadium, Chivu replied: “As I said, Marcus needs a few more days.”
“We are working on his recovery, but we cannot rush him. We want him to be fully fit before returning to play.”
Chivu is not prioritizing the Napoli showdown over the Royal Union SG showdown.
Despite the importance of the game against Napoli, Chivu chose to focus solely on the game against Royal Union.
“The Champions League should not be underestimated,” he said. “We are not thinking about Napoli right now.
“These players have reached the final twice in the last three years, which is no small feat.
“Some teams fail to reach the final twice in 30 years. We know what it means to play in the Champions League.
“And we have to respect this club and what our players have built over the years, so we will treat this match with the utmost care.
“After this game, I will think about Napoli.”
However, he praised the attacking team’s performance against Roma.
“We have a lot of players who can make a difference.
“Lautaro and Bony are two important players, but we have other players who can step up.
“We are a team and everyone needs to contribute. The most important thing is the collective.”
However, he refused to confirm the starting lineup for tomorrow’s game.
“I can’t tell you the lineup,” Chiv continued. “I’m not talking about the rotation, I’m talking about the choice of who starts.
“For me, there is no fixed starter. I trust all 22 outfield players and goalkeepers.
“Everyone is good and can get started. I’m happy to have a group like this because they allow me to carry out work that I believe in and give me the possibility to contribute to our journey.”
“Seeing happy people makes me feel so happy every morning.”
Cristian Chivu admits it’s not easy to prepare for a match like Royal Union SG vs. Inter Milan
“They play in the same formation, press high, defend very high and are an attacking team that puts a lot of pressure on the opponent.
“I don’t know if they will change or not. We respect our opponents. A manager cannot completely change the identity of the team in a few days, especially when the team has won the league, already has three points in this competition and is in first place in Belgium.”
“The players are more or less the same, which is good.
“They beat PSV in the first game and then lost to Newcastle, but that can happen.
“It’s a strong team. They’re very aggressive, so we have to be ready.”
Still, he stressed the importance of staying focused.
“We need to maintain our enthusiasm,” Chivu insisted. “We are a very experienced team and we know that one wrong step could set us back, but we are ready for it.
“Moreover, we must avoid such failures as we are confident that we have delivered a good performance.
“And we have the ambition to move forward on the same path we have taken in recent weeks, knowing that there may be difficult times ahead.”
Finally, he emphasized Inter’s high ambitions this season.
“We have an obligation to think big,” he asserted. “We are Inter and we have a staff that can work calmly on all three fronts.
“So we have to be the best version and try to win game by game so that we can get to the spring and still be competitive on all fronts.
“When I say I want to go all the way, I mean this. I have to participate, or at least try to participate, in every competition by late March or April.”
