Corriere dello Sport: Bonny could start against Shakhtar

His goal at Bologna could give Ange-Yoan Bonny an opportunity he has yet to have this season: a place in the starting line-up. According to Italian sports daily Corriere dello Sport, the striker has a good chance of starting against Shakhtar, although Cristian Chivu has yet to choose his strike partnership. The match takes place at San Siro on 21 October at 21:00 CEST, on matchday three of the Champions League league phase.

The former Parma forward has scored off the bench against Udinese, Club Brugge and Bologna. So far, the coach has used him as a substitute, with the exception of the trip to Cagliari, when he remained on the bench throughout. The next step would therefore be to assess his contribution from the start, following his impact as a substitute in the league and in Europe.

The decision also concerns who would partner him. With Lautaro Martínez injured, the attacking options are down to three, and Thuram has shouldered a heavy workload recently. The newspaper therefore also raises the possibility of a Bonny-Pio Esposito partnership: the pair have started together just once during their time at Inter, in last season's second league derby, when the captain was also sidelined through injury.

For Bonny, it would also be an opportunity to build on his first European goal with a different outcome, having scored against Club Brugge in a home defeat. He had already made two starts in the previous Champions League campaign, without scoring. Corriere identifies fitness and accumulated fatigue after a three-match week as the factors to assess at La Pinetina, Inter's training ground: the striker's chances remain dependent on Chivu's decision.