Inter Milan’s star striker Lautaro Martinez has confirmed that he will not be able to participate in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against city rivals AC Milan. The Argentine forward revealed that despite his best efforts to recover in time, he will not even be on the bench for the crucial match.

The highly anticipated Derby della Madonnina is scheduled to take place at San Siro on Wednesday evening. Inter Milan are already facing challenges with injuries to Mehdi Taremi and Denzel Dumfries, as well as the suspension of Kristjan Asllani. The absence of their captain and top scorer Martinez is a significant blow to the team’s prospects.

Martinez, who returned from international duty with Argentina carrying a muscular issue, expressed his disappointment on social media: “I gave my all to be there tomorrow evening, but unfortunately there just wasn’t enough time. The season is long and we have many objectives. We’ll see each other soon on the pitch.”

In response to Martinez’s absence, Inter coach Simone Inzaghi has been testing a new attacking partnership in training, featuring Joaquin Correa and Marcus Thuram. This duo is expected to lead the line for Inter in the crucial derby match.

The decision to keep Martinez out of the squad appears to be precautionary, with the club mindful of the upcoming Champions League quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich next week. By resting now, Martinez hopes to avoid exacerbating his injury and ensure his availability for the important European fixture.