Inter head into their first Serie A fixture after the international break in a strong but imperfect position. The club sit second in the table on 13 points from five games, level with Roma and Lazio, and remain clear favourites for the title. Yet defensive fragility has been a persistent concern for Cristian Chivu, who used the break to focus training specifically on that area of the team, as reported by Goal. Conceding eight goals across their last five matches in all competitions, including a 5-3 win over Udinese and a 2-2 draw at Roma, points to a side that can hurt opponents but remains exposed at the back.

The injury situation has complicated matters further. Hakan Calhanoglu, Federico Dimarco, John Stones and Djed Spence have all been unavailable, though the international break offered some recovery time. Spence made his Inter debut in a 2-0 friendly win over Lumezzane on October 3, as covered by Goal, a positive sign after the summer signing missed the start of the season through injury.

With Parma visiting Giuseppe Meazza on Saturday, Goal's match preview notes that Chivu faces genuine selection decisions in attack. Marcus Thuram is certain to start, but the second striking role is open, with Lautaro Martinez potentially rested and Aris Bonny among the candidates, according to Goal. How Chivu resolves that question will shape Inter's attacking threat as a demanding run of nine games in a month begins.