Inter’s forward line is entering another testing week without Lautaro Martinez, and Cristian Chivu has a decision to make before Shakhtar: retain Marcus Thuram as the fixed point and choose the partner best placed to support him.
The decision
Ange-Yoan Bonny has made a persuasive case. The former Parma striker changed the league match in Bologna after coming on, while Pio Esposito appeared short of his best physical condition. With Lautaro injured, Bonny is now strongly in contention to start alongside Thuram against Shakhtar.
The two French forwards have already shown an easy understanding away from the pitch. After Bonny’s decisive contribution in Bologna, he was asked whether Thuram offered him advice. “No, we just talk nonsense,” Bonny replied. Their humour has accompanied a useful competitive connection at a moment when Inter need alternatives.
Bonny also scored against Club Brugge, his first Champions League goal, even though it did not prevent Inter from losing. That setback nevertheless underlined his growing role within the squad. Against Shakhtar, a match not yet decisive but important to Inter’s European route, he could be handed another significant responsibility.
Chivu has used Thuram and Bonny together from the opening whistle only seven times. Their sole European start came in late January, when Inter won 2-0 at Borussia Dortmund. The result did not spare the Nerazzurri from the play-offs, where Bodø/Glimt ended their progress towards the round of 16, but it offered encouraging evidence for the pairing.
Bonny’s numbers make him Inter’s most efficient scorer by minutes played: three goals in 171 minutes, or one every 57 minutes. He has become a useful attacking option when the side require a change of pace or a goal from the bench.
Thuram, meanwhile, has carried greater responsibility in Lautaro’s absence. His Champions League scoring wait stretches beyond a year, with his last goals in the competition coming as a brace away to Ajax on 17 September. A reunion with Bonny in the starting side may offer Inter a different route towards ending that run.
Sunday’s picture
The Bologna match sharpened the selection debate. Thuram again showed his importance as Inter’s leading attacking reference point, Bonny made an immediate impact from the substitutes’ bench, and Esposito struggled to find full rhythm.
Inter have five forwards, giving Chivu a broad set of combinations rather than one automatic solution. The most frequent and productive starting partnership remains Thuram with Lautaro: 25 combined goals across 22 matches.
| Forward partnership | Matches together | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez | 22 | 25 |
| Marcus Thuram and Pio Esposito | 12 | 14 |
| Lautaro Martinez and Pio Esposito | 14 | 14 |
| Marcus Thuram and Ange-Yoan Bonny | 7 | 3 |
| Lautaro Martinez and Ange-Yoan Bonny | Not stated | 5 |
| Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny | 1 | 0 |
Thuram and Esposito have returned 14 goals in 12 matches, the same total achieved by Lautaro and Esposito over 14 games. The Thuram-Bonny partnership has produced three goals in seven outings, while Lautaro and Bonny have scored five together. The youngest combination, Esposito and Bonny, has been tried once without finding the net.
For Chivu, Shakhtar is therefore less about discovering a new partnership than deciding which existing option best fits the present moment. Bonny’s form and his response in Bologna have given the coach a credible reason to place him next to Thuram from the start.
