Italian sides suffer injury blows ahead of Euro ties

Italy’s three Champions League representatives have all been hit by costly injury blows ahead of next week’s crucial Champions League second leg matches.

All three sides face English teams in the second round of Europe’s premier competition in midweek and will have to do so without key players.

Inter have lost centre-backs Nicolas Burdisso and Marco Materazzi while they already have a fitness doubt over Walter Samuel, leaving them with a defensive headache ahead of their trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United with the tie balanced at 0-0 from the first leg.

Burdisso will miss two months with a knee problem while Materazzi is out for three weeks with a leg strain.

Juventus host Chelsea but have lost combative Mali midfielder Momo Sissoko to a metatarsal injury that will see him spend two months on the sidelines.

They have to overturn a 1-0 deficit and will desperately miss Sissoko’s industry in central midfield.

And things get no better for AS Roma, trailing Arsenal by 1-0 from the first leg in London, as they have lost Brazilian full-back Cicinho to a season-ending knee injury.

They already have terrible injury problems that saw them deprived of Francesco Totti, Simone Perrotta and Marco Cassetti while David Pizarro left the field injured.