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RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 19: Josep Martinez Rieira goalkeeper of FC Internazionale kicks the ball during the Supercoppa Italiana semifinal match between Bologna FC 1909 and FC Internazionale at King Saud University Stadium on December 19, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Abdullah Ahmed/Getty Images)
Inter are preparing to take on Cagliari in Serie A on Friday afternoon, but there was a slight surprise in Cristian Chivu’s starting XI, as regular first-choice goalkeeper Yann Sommer was left out of the line-up for Josep Martinez.
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Why Martinez is playing instead of Sommer in Inter vs. Cagliari
Martinez has spent the last two seasons serving as Sommer’s understudy in San Siro, but has been Inter’s go-to goalkeeper in domestic cup competitions this season. He has played in all three of Inter’s Coppa Italia fixtures so far this season, plus the semi-final of the Supercoppa Italiana. He also has two Serie A appearances to his name this term.
According to pre-match reports, Chivu intends to play Martinez for the second leg of Inter’s Coppa Italia semi-final against Como coming up on Tuesday evening (April 21).
However, given that Martinez has not played since the first leg of the Como semi-final, which took place six weeks ago on March 3, Chivu has decided to play Martinez against Cagliari in order to give him a ‘warm-up’ according to reports from TMW.
Curiously, Martinez’s last appearance in Serie A also came against Cagliari on September 27, and that game ended in a 2-0 victory in favour of the Nerazzurri. His only other outing in the league this term ended in a 2-1 victory at home against Sassuolo on September 21.
ByPeter Young
Peter Young is a Senior Reporter with Football Italia.
