Category: News

The 2010 European champions are desperate to secure a top-three finish, while the defender feels they have sufficient alternatives for the injured Diego Milito

Inter defender Andrea Ranocchia has underlined the importance of qualifying for next year’s Champions League, as the Nerazzurri battle for third place in the Serie A table.

The Giuseppe Meazza side currently sit fifth in the standings, trailing third-placed Lazio by three points, and are desperate to return to European club football’s elite competition after a one-year absence.

“The battle for the Champions League places is pretty intense and it makes it very intriguing,” Ranocchia told reporters.

“It’s a hard-fought Serie A this year. We’ll keep fighting till the end because we must get into the Champions League spots.”

Ranocchia also had his say on Diego Milito’s injury and stated that Inter have enough alternatives for the injured Argentine.

“We’re obviously sorry because Milito is not just a great player but he’s a great guy as well, and he’s always made his presence felt in the dressing room.

“But we have a number of players who will step in now and try to replace him as best they can.”

Inter are currently preparing for Sunday’s Serie A match away against Catania.

Goal.com runs through the best performers from the latest action in Italy’s top-flight

It was a drawn-out round of Serie A football this week, with Bologna’s clash with Fiorentina bringing four days of pulsating action to a close on Tuesday evening, after snow had caused the game’s postponement on Sunday.

Other games went ahead despite the inclement weather, while the likes of Cagliari’s dramatic win over Torino came in more manageable conditions. And then of course there was the Milan derby, which is recognised with four players in the Goal.com Team of the Week.

After earning a spot in Round 25’s star XI despite shipping four goals, Samir Handanovic once more makes it into the top team thanks to his notable internventions in the Derby della Madonnina on Sunday. One particular save from Mario Balotelli will have the people of Lombardy talking for some time.

Juventus’ win over Siena came thanks in part to the performance of Stephan Lichtsteiner, who opened the scoring and added a solid shift down the right flank once more. Meanwhile, Mattia De Sciglio turned in a dangerous first 45 minutes for Milan against Inter, which on another night could have seen the Rossoneri take all three points. Stefan Radu‘s continued improvement since returning from a long-term injury helped Lazio see off Pescara, while city rivals Roma edged a snow-filled classic at Atalanta with the help of Vasilis Torosidis‘ second-half winner.

Inter looked to be up against it in the derby at one point, but substitute Ezequiel Schelotto rescued a point with a header three minutes after coming on, and then could have won it with a similar effort late on. The week’s most thrilling encounter was clinched by a second goal of the game for Daniele Conti, as Cagliari saw off nine-man Torino by the odd goal in seven. Elsewhere, Miralem Pjanic‘s showing against Atalanta was one of the main reasons why Roma overcame the conditions to clinch three much-needed points.

The opening goal of the Milan derby was struck by Stephan El Shaarawy, who was a constant threat to the Inter backline, while a Nerazzurri youngster also makes the Team of the Week. Marko Livaja‘s two goals for Atalanta against Roma will help to build his reputation early on in his loan spell, even if it was not enough for the Orobici to take something from the game. One player whose scoring efforts were not in vain was Eder, who struck as a substitute for Sampdoria in their 2-0 victory over Chievo.

The club have confirmed on their website that the Japan international has suffered a meniscus ligament tear, although the injury is not as serious as first feared

Inter defender Yuto Nagatomo has been ruled out for the next few weeks with a knee injury, although he will not require surgery to treat the problem.

The Japan international was injured during the 1-1 draw with AC Milan last weekend, suffering what was initially hoped to be a simple sprain.

Following further tests carried out by Inter’s doctor on Wednesday, the club confirmed on their official website that the 26-year-old has suffered a tear to his meniscus ligaments and was facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

However, reports on Wednesday evening suggest that the injury is not as serious as first feared, and the versatile player is likely to be out of action for three to four weeks, meaning he will likely play a further part in the current campaign.

Nagatomo, who joined Andrea Stramaccioni’s side from Cesena in 2011, has impressed throughout the past year and reportedly attracted the interest of Real Madrid last month following his displays.

The player signed a new contract at Guiseppe Meazza at the turn of the year, pledging his future to the club until 2016, meaning any interested party would likely have to pay a large sum to tempt him away from Inter.

The club have confirmed on their website that the Japan international has suffered a meniscus ligament tear, although the injury is not as serious as first feared

Inter defender Yuto Nagatomo has been ruled out for the next few weeks with a knee injury, although he will not require surgery to treat the problem.

The Japan international was injured during the 1-1 draw with AC Milan last weekend, suffering what was initially hoped to be a simple sprain.

Following further tests carried out by Inter’s doctor on Wednesday, the club confirmed on their official website that the 26-year-old has suffered a tear to his meniscus ligaments and was facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

However, reports on Wednesday evening suggest that the injury is not as serious as first feared, and the versatile player is likely to be out of action for three to four weeks, meaning he will likely play a further part in the current campaign.

Nagatomo, who joined Andrea Stramaccioni’s side from Cesena in 2011, has impressed throughout the past year and reportedly attracted the interest of Real Madrid last month following his displays.

The player signed a new contract at Guiseppe Meazza at the turn of the year, pledging his future to the club until 2016, meaning any interested party would likely have to pay a large sum to tempt him away from Inter.

Inter defender Yuto Nagatomo has been ruled out for the season with a knee injury.

The Japan international was injured during the 1-1 draw with AC Milan last weekend, suffering what was initially hoped to be a simple sprain.

However, following further tests carried out by the Inter’s doctor on Wednesday, the club have confirmed the 26-year-old has suffered a tear to his meniscus ligaments and is likely to be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign.

More to follow…