Gazzetta: Martínez set to face Shakhtar, Provedel expected in Serie A

The change in goal mooted in recent days for the Champions League now looks set to be postponed until the league campaign. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy’s leading sports daily, Cristian Chivu has reportedly opted to stick with Josep Martínez for tonight’s clash with Shakhtar: it would be the Spaniard’s tenth consecutive start, despite his errors against Real Madrid and Club Brugge. With Inter still without a point in Europe, the coach would therefore be keeping faith with the goalkeeper he considers his number one.

The newspaper’s account also points to Ivan Provedel’s lengthy spell without competitive action, with his last appearance coming on 4 March. The former Lazio goalkeeper is expected to get his chance in the next two Serie A matches, against Fiorentina on 25 October and away to Venezia on 28 October. Those would be two opportunities to assess his fitness and reliability: according to Gazzetta, Martínez remains first choice, but Provedel would have the chance to challenge that pecking order.

The faith in the Spaniard is also said to have a financial element: the club invested around €13 million plus €2 million in add-ons to sign him from Genoa, compared with the €3 million spent on Provedel. The newspaper links the run of games afforded to Martínez to a desire to maximise the value of that investment, while Provedel, who arrived as a back-up, could earn a more prominent role over the course of the season.

The fixture list packs the former Lazio goalkeeper’s potential opportunities into just a few days: Fiorentina will visit San Siro on Sunday 25 October at 12:30 CET, while the match at Venezia will take place on Wednesday 28 October at 18:30 CET. Immediately afterwards, on 31 October at 20:45 CET, comes the derby away to AC Milan.