Inter: from De Pieri to Topalovic, the youngsters who are hoping for a big opportunity against Lazio

Inzaghi has pushed the green button. For the match against Lazio, he will bring several young players from the Primavera to the bench. These are Alessandro Calligaris, Alain Taho, Christos Alexiou, Matteo Cocchi, Thomas Berenbruch, Luka Topalovic and Giacomo De Pieri, who was already sent onto the pitch against Monaco. Due to the various injury-related withdrawals - Sommer, Di Gennaro, Carlos Augusto, Correa, Zalewski and Thuram - one of the young Nerazzurri players could get a chance.

The only one of the seven to have made his debut. Giacomo De Pieri played his first minutes as a professional in the Champions League against Monaco. A quarter of an hour to fire a left-footed shot over the crossbar and make himself seen with a couple of good plays. Left-handed, 18 years old, 10 goals and 8 assists. He has scored 3 goals in the last 4 games. Inter have locked him up until 2029 (along with Lavelli, a striker born in 2007). Discovered by Roberto Samaden, former head of Inter's youth sector now at Atalanta, he boasts top scorer tournaments and plan Bs that have remained in the drawer. If he hadn't made it in football he would have become an osteopath.

The domino effect of injuries brought him to the big boys at 17. Alain Taho, Albania's number one, earned his first Serie A call-up in the last round against Genoa. He made one appearance in the Primavera, one in the Youth League - where he kept his guard up against Bayer Leverkusen - and 11 with the U18s. He also has four appearances with the Albanian U19s.

The Greek centre-back with the armband on his arm and his head held high. They say about him: “Not elegant in his movements, but effective like few others”. Christos Alexiou is an old-school centre-back who marks you tightly and clubs you. He clears when there is a clear to be cleared and relies on his right foot when setting up, but his strong point is one-on-one situations. Born in Athens, he is the captain of the Primavera and knows how to score: five goals in 28 appearances between the league and Youth League. Inzaghi brought him to Riyadh for the Super Cup. Inter discovered him in the Atromitos youth team and brought him to Interello in 2022. He will be one of the linchpins of the Under 23s.

Comparisons don't touch him: "Me like De Bruyne? Calm down." Luka Topalovic comes from Domzale, in Slovenia, where at 16 he was already playing in the first team. Now he's 18 and he's got the Nerazzurri going. "Several clubs wanted me," he told the Gazzetta, "but Inter were the first to make a serious move." A playmaker with his head held high and a ready idea, he has scored 9 goals in 30 appearances. Zanchetta has moved his range of action back to midfield, where he raises his eyes and finds the strikers. One of his sponsors was Samir Handanovic, now coach of the Under 17s: "I really owe him a lot." Maybe even a debut with Inter.

One of the youngest of the group. Matteo Cocchi came of age on February 1st and waited a month to unwrap the gift: the first convention among the big boys. His left foot led him to a retreat with the first team, to provide an assist for Salcedo against Pergolettese in a friendly and to capture names. The latest is "the new Dimarco", due to his role and his foot. "I know what is written on social media, but I tend not to read the comments and focus on myself. My goal is to debut in Serie A". This year he boasts 4 goals and 4 assists in 25 appearances. One to keep an eye on.

One of Zanchetta's frontmen. Thomas Berenbruch has ten goals and eight call-ups to the first team, where he came close to making his debut a couple of times. In the Youth League he scored twice against City, then Inzaghi had him on the bench against Young Boys. Qualities: insertion, long-range shot, good technique. Thomas, 19, is a midfielder who knows how to put it in. This year he also made his debut with the Italy U20. He wore the Nerazzurri shirt at Inter at 15 after a handful of seasons in Renate. The surname is deceiving: Berenbruch was born in Milan to Italian parents. His paternal grandfather came here from Germany. Fun fact: his teammates call him “Bellinbruch”. A play on words that harks back to Jude Bellingham. One of his role models.