Article by Romeo Ene – Published Friday, February 20, 2026, 1:16 p.m. / Updated Friday, February 20, 2026, 1:17 p.m.
Big headaches for Cristi Chivu (45 years old), his coach Inter. Lautaro Martinez (28 years old) he was injured in the match with Bodo/Glimtthe first leg of the Champions League “round of 16” play-off and will be unavailable for the next period.
The Champions League finalist published an official statement related to the health of the top during the day on Friday.
Lautaro Martinez would miss the derby with AC Milan on March 8
Lautaro Martinez underwent clinical and imaging investigations this morning at the Humanitas Institute in Rozzano. Analyzes revealed a muscle strain in the soleus muscle of the left leg.
The Argentine forward's situation will be reassessed next week.
– PRESS Inter Milan
The conditions of Lautaro Martínez
👉 https://t.co/BWSj8P40vQ pic.twitter.com/cYrtYdKQzr
— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter) February 20, 2026
His captain Chivu left the match with Bodo/Glimt in the 61st minute, being replaced by Marcus Thuram (28 years old). Images of the Argentine limping immediately caused concern at the club, with Chivu hinting after the game that the striker would be unavailable for a long period of time.
“My opinion is that we lost him, he is injured. He is injured quite seriously“, the Romanian coach said.
Lautaro underwent medical tests, which confirmed the initial fears. The period of unavailability will not be short, most likely it will exceed a month, according to the Italian press.
He will therefore miss the AC Milan derby on 8 March, returning after the competitive break for national team matches at the end of March.
In addition to the match against Milan, Lautaro will also miss the second leg against Bodo/Glimt, the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final with Como, as well as the league games against Genoa, Atalanta and Fiorentina.
Martinez has played 35 games this season for Inter, scoring 18 goals and providing 4 assists. He is quoted by the specialized website Transfermarkt at 85 million euros.
