Inter's week ended in frustration at San Siro on Sunday, as the 0-0 draw with Fiorentina interrupted what had been a promising run of form. The result leaves Cristian Chivu's side second in Serie A on 19 points from eight games, four behind leaders Lazio, after winning six of their opening seven league matches.

The backdrop to that stalemate was a hard-fought Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk four days earlier, a result that carried real significance. Inter had lost their first two European games against Real Madrid and Club Brugge, making the 1-0 victory at Giuseppe Meazza a near must-win. Carlos Augusto scored the decisive goal, doing so with ten men after Alessandro Bastoni was sent off following two yellow cards inside twenty minutes of the final quarter. Goalkeeper Josep Martinez also drew praise after a difficult start to the season, as reports from the match confirmed.

For the Fiorentina game, Chivu rotated heavily. Ivan Provedel replaced Martinez in goal, Federico Dimarco dropped to the bench, and Pio Esposito started up front alongside Marcus Thuram, as confirmed by the official line-ups. The squad continues to carry a significant injury list, with Lautaro Martinez, Benjamin Pavard, Curtis Jones, John Stones and Luis Henrique all unavailable. Next up is a trip to Venezia in midweek, with the fixture schedule set to remain demanding across Serie A and Europe.