Cúper has cause for concern
Friday, February 14, 2003
Article summary
Internazionale FC coach Héctor Cúper will be without Nicola Beati for the trip to FC Barcelona.
Article body
Internazionale FC's injury worries have deepened with the news that promising midfield player Nicola Beati could miss the remainder of the campaign.
Ligament damage
The 20-year-old suffered ligament damage in his right knee during an Under-20 friendly involving a young Inter side against Libya in Tripoli on Wednesday. Beati is considered one of the rising stars of Italian football and had just broken into Inter's UEFA Champions League team for their last second group stage match before Christmas.
Hopes dashed
Beati played 19 minutes of their 3-2 victory against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, that left them top of Group A with six points out of six. He would have hoped to gain more appearances in the remainder of the campaign especially as midfield duo Matias Almedya and Emre Belözoglu are out with a broken leg and twisted ankle respectively.
Selection problem
Inter coach Héctor Cúper faces a major selection headache for next Tuesday’s trip to FC Barcelona, who also have a 100 per cent record in the second group stage. The coach is also without defenders Daniele Adani, Francesco Coco and striker Hernán Crespo while new signing Gabriel Batistuta is ineligible for the Champions League.
