Lautaro Martinez injury: Inter striker likely out for Champions League second leg, who can replace him?

Inter striker Lautaro Martinez is unlikely to feature in the UEFA Champions League's second leg semifinal against FC Barcelona that will take place on Tuesday in Milan, after the two teams drew 3-3 in the first leg in Barcelona on Wednesday. The Italian giants are still holding out hope and will see over the next few days if their captain will be able to feature in the squad at all, after the Argentinian striker sustained a muscular injury that forced Inter coach Simone Inzaghi to replace him at halftime in Barcelona. Lautaro, according to multiple reports, will try to make it for the second game in Milan, but if things don't go as planned, here's how Inzaghi can cope with the absence of the Inter captain.

The Italian club issued a statement on Friday regarding the health conditions of the striker: "Lautaro Martinez had various clinical and instrumental examinations this morning at the Humanitas Institute in Rozzano. It was found that the Argentine forward has an elongation of the flexor muscles in his left thigh. His conditions will continue to be reviewed day by day", the Nerazzurri wrote in their official statement.

Who can replace Lautaro?

The Argentinian, who already scored 21 goals in 47 matches in all competitions this season, has been one of the best Inter players so far and his absence would drastically change the plans of Inzaghi, who only saw the comeback of their second striker Marcus Thuram ahead of the first leg in Barcelona after another muscular injury. If Lautaro won't make it, it's likely that former FC Porto player Mehdi Taremi will be the one picked to replace the Inter captain in the starting lineup as he also replacedLautaro in the second half of the first game in Barcelona. Taremi's first season at Inter after arriving from Porto as a free agent in the summer 2024, has been disappointing, as he's only scored three goals in all competitions so far. However, his performance in the second half in Barcelona was very positive, showing he can be helpful for this team. As Joaquin Correa is not on the Champions League roster, Marko Arnautovic is the only other option to replace Lautaro alongside Thuram in the attack. Others suggested Inzaghi might opt to play midfielder Davide Frattesi behind Thuram, in a much more defensive tactical system, but in four seasons of Inzaghi at Inter, he never changed his tactical system, the 3-5-2, and it's extremely unlikely to make such change in the most important game of the season.