Cristian Chivu says Inter have enough quality within their squad to cope with a demanding trip to Cagliari, with Marcus Thuram and Curtis Jones both available to make an impact from the bench.
The match at Unipol Domus begins at 19:45 BST (20:45 CEST), with Inter looking to build on their opening-day victory and Cagliari hoping to follow up their impressive away win at Parma.
The Nerazzurri began the campaign with a 4-1 win against Monza after claiming the domestic double last season, lifting both the Scudetto and Coppa Italia. Cagliari, meanwhile, made an unexpected winning start by beating Parma 1-0 away from home.
Chivu has made three changes to the team that featured last weekend. Benjamin Pavard, Petar Sucic and Luis Henrique come into the starting line-up, replacing Yann Bisseck, Piotr Zielinski and Andy Diouf.
New signings John Stones and Curtis Jones are among the substitutes. Djed Spence is not yet ready to feature after taking longer to regain full fitness following the World Cup with England.
“We know that it is never easy to play against Cagliari, they are a well-drilled team and really impressed at Parma,” Chivu told Sky Sport Italia.
The Inter manager was also asked about the players waiting for their opportunity from the bench and whether they would need to do more to force their way into the starting side.
“They don’t need to do anything, they are part of this squad and over the years shown the contribution they can give to the team.”
Thuram is also still working towards full fitness after experiencing issues with France at the World Cup. The France forward is expected to receive playing time against Cagliari, while Jones could make his Inter debut following his move from Liverpool.
“I don’t know when Thuram will be at 100 per cent, but he needs minutes on the field, and he will get them today,” replied Chivu.
“Jones has already shown what kind of player he is, he brings a certain quality and could give us a hand today.”
The availability of both players gives Chivu further options as Inter negotiate a potentially difficult fixture against a Cagliari side that impressed in their opening match.
The summer transfer window closes on Tuesday, 1 September, and it remains to be seen whether Inter will add any further new arrivals before the deadline.
Build-up and live coverage of this match, along with the other two Serie A fixtures being played today, are available through the Liveblog.
