Why Calhanoglu was left out of Inter squad for Udinese clash in Serie A

MILAN, ITALY - AUGUST 22: Hakan Calhanoglu of Internazionale celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and AC Monza at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Inter are gearing up to take on Udinese in Serie A on Monday evening, but Cristian Chivu has not named Hakan Calhanoglu in his matchday squad due to muscular fatigue, pre-match reports confirm. 

Inter vs. Udinese is one of three Serie A matches being played on Monday evening, along with Torino vs. Roma and Como vs. Parma in the early evening kick-off slots. 

You can follow the action from all of Monday’s Serie A games on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Why Calhanoglu is unavailable for Inter vs. Udinese

The line-ups for Inter vs. Torino have recently been confirmed, but Cristian Chivu is not able to count on reliable holding midfielder Calhanoglu, who has been left out of the matchday squad altogether due to adductor fatigue according to Gianluca Di Marzio.

This is not expected to be a long-term issue. Calhanoglu will be assessed on a day-by-day basis, but as things stand, his availability for Saturday evening’s Serie A clash against Roma remains unclear. 

With no Calhanoglu available, Inter have gone with a midfield trio of Nicolo Barella, Piotr Zielinski and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Zielinski is expected to play as the deepest of the three midfielders.