Inter Milan’s Hakan Çalhanoglu to miss match against Roma due to injury

Inter Milan will be without one of their most important players when they face AS Roma on September 19. Hakan Çalhanoglu, the 32-year-old Turkish midfielder who has been central to Inter’s strong start to the campaign, has been ruled out with a right adductor muscle strain.

The timing could hardly be worse. Both Inter and Roma sit level at the top of the Serie A table with 12 points apiece from their first four matches, making this effectively a first-place showdown without one of the league’s most influential midfielders available.

What happened and what we know

Çalhanoglu was a late scratch from Inter’s matchday squad for their September 14 fixture against Udinese. That match turned into something of a spectacle, with Inter pulling off a 5-3 comeback victory, but the Turkish international watched from the sidelines.

Medical tests conducted the following day at the Humanitas Clinical Institute in Rozzano confirmed the diagnosis: a muscle strain in his right adductor.

Inter’s medical staff has projected a return after the international break, penciling in early October as a realistic timeline for his comeback.

Inter also disclosed that defender John Stones picked up a separate muscular issue following the Udinese match, meaning the manager may need to shuffle multiple positions ahead of the Roma clash.

Why this matters beyond one match

Çalhanoglu has started the season in sharp form, scoring two goals in four appearances. He joined Inter Milan in 2021 and has since recorded 52 goals and 39 assists across 216 appearances prior to the 2026-27 season.

There’s also a broader fitness narrative worth tracking. Çalhanoglu has missed 28 matches in less than two years at Inter due to various injuries. For a player who turned 32 and whose contract runs through June 2027, the accumulation of muscular issues raises questions about workload management.

The bigger picture for Inter and Serie A

The September 19 fixture between Inter and Roma was shaping up to be one of the early-season defining matches regardless of Çalhanoglu’s availability. With both clubs locked on 12 points after four rounds, whoever takes three points will sit alone at the summit.

With Stones also potentially unavailable, the manager faces a squad management puzzle ahead of the high-stakes clash. The 5-3 thriller against Udinese showed Inter have goals in them from multiple sources.

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