Inter are set to be without influential striker Lautaro Martinez through injury, ahead of a busy period that starts against Lecce in Serie A on Saturday.

According to Italian media, Martinez is set to be sidelined for around a month after suffering a calf injury during Inter's shock Champions League play-off first leg loss to Bodo/Glimt in midweek.

The Argentinian went off in the second half, and Inter confirmed the injury following medical tests on Friday.

Inter have the second leg against the Norwegian side to come next week, as well as league clashes with Genoa, rivals AC Milan, Atalanta and a Coppa Italia semi-final first leg against Como during his expected time out.

"The examinations revealed a strain to the soleus muscle in his left calf. The condition of the Argentine forward will be reassessed next week," Inter said in a statement released on their website.

Inter are top of the pile in Serie A heading into the weekend, holding a seven-point lead over Milan at the summit.

They face a Lecce side who moved out of the relegation zone after back-to-back wins, and they now have a three-point buffer over the drop.

Inter, meanwhile, are on a six-game winning streak in Serie A after a 3-2 win over Juventus last weekend.

Considering a manager's first 25 top-flight games in charge of the club, Cristian Chivu has achieved the most wins, recording 20 victories in 25 matches (80%), along with one draw and four defeats.

Their win over Juventus was overshadowed by a red card to Pierre Kalulu, with Chivu defending the referee's decision despite Alessandro Bastoni seemingly diving to earn the decision, having previously refused to discuss the controversial officiating choices.

But former Italian coach Fabio Capello was not impressed by Chivu's backtracking on the subject.

"I know Chivu very well, as he was one of my players at Roma, but his words after the game deeply disappointed me," he said in his column for Gazzetta dello Sport.

"The Inter coach was not consistent with what he had said on the eve of the match, and in the end, he gave the impression of justifying what happened.

"More than his words, however, his actions matter [Bastoni was substituted at half-time]. I would have expected statements of a very different tone, especially after a victory."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Lecce – Riccardo Sottil

Inter are the only side against whom Riccardo Sottil has scored more than one Serie A goal: both of them at home, in 2020 and 2021, respectively, with Cagliari and Fiorentina.

However, the Lecce forward has not been involved in any goals in his last three Serie A meetings against the Milanese side.

Inter – Federico Dimarco

Federico Dimarco got his 50th goal contribution in the league last time out against Juventus (20 goals, 30 assists).

He set up Francesco Pio Esposito's second-half effort, which was his 12th assist of the campaign, the joint-most of any Inter player in a single season since data was available (2004-05). Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu also provided 12 in 2021-22.

MATCH PREDICTION: INTER WIN

Lecce have lost all of their last seven Serie A matches against Inter, failing to score in the most recent six. The Salentini could suffer more consecutive defeats against a single opponent in the top-flight for the first time in their history (seven, also against the Nerazzurri between 1991 and 1999).

Inter have kept a clean sheet in each of their last six Serie A games against Lecce; should they keep another, Lecce would become the team against whom the Nerazzurri boast their longest active run of consecutive matches without conceding a goal in the top-flight.

Lecce have never beaten the league leaders at the start of a Serie A matchday across their last five seasons in the top-flight. They have played 11 such games, with a record of D3 L8, including all of their last six in the competition without scoring a single goal.

Inter have won their last eight Serie A away games, keeping a clean sheet in the most recent five; only once in their Serie A history have the Nerazzurri recorded a longer run of consecutive away wins in the top-flight (11 between October 2006 and March 2007).

Meanwhile, after eight Serie A matches without a win (D2 L6), Lecce have won their last two league games (against Udinese and Cagliari) and could secure three consecutive top-flight victories for the first time since between November 2022 and January 2023.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Lecce – 15.7%

Draw – 22.5%

Inter – 61.9%