Why Thuram is crucial for Inter and Inzaghi

MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 11: Marcus Thuram of FC Internazionale celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg match between FC Internazionale Milano and Feyenoord at Stadio San Siro on March 11, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Marcus Thuram returned to the Inter starting XI in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona on Wednesday, so it’s worth looking over the statistics showing his impact on the squad.

The game at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys kicked off at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT, 21.00 CET) on April 30, because Camp Nou is undergoing intensive restructuring work.

The second leg was played at San Siro on Tuesday, May 6.

There was important team news in the build-up to the opening match match, as while Benjamin Pavard missed out through a sprained ankle, but Thuram returned to the line-up alongside Lautaro Martinez.

It goes without saying that he has been missed in the last few games while he tended to adductor issues, because not only have Inter lost three in a row, they also failed to score a single goal.

Thuram so decisive for Inter attack

The 27-year-old is a key figure in the Inter squad who has contributed 18 goals and nine assists in 47 competitive appearances so far this season.

His impact on the side goes well beyond the simple figures of goals and assists, however, and his return should be reflected in the betting odds for Barcelona vs. Inter on Covers.

When Thuram has been in the team this season, Inter have an average of 2.2 points per game.

That is more than halved to an average of 1 point per match when the France international is out of action.

The statistics are even more alarming when it comes purely to the goals scored by the Nerazzurri.

In those matches with Thuram on the field, Inter average 2.3 goals per game this season, compared to a pitiful 0.3 per fixture in his absence.

Other Inter strikers just didn’t deliver

While Marko Arnautovic has made his contribution to the reigning Champions of Italy, scoring seven goals and providing two assists in 25 competitive matches.

However, the 36-year-old has been blighted by injury problems and the real problems emerged when these coincided with Thuram’s spells on the treatment table.

This is precisely why Mehdi Taremi was snapped up as a free agent from FC Porto last summer, but the Iranian has failed to step up with just three goals and eight assists in 42 competitive appearances in the Inter jersey.

Worryingly, one goal and two assists were in the same match, a 4-0 Champions League victory over struggling Red Star Belgrade.

The others were in a 4-0 Serie A win over Lecce, plus the 3-2 Supercoppa Italiana defeat to Milan in January, so Taremi effectively never made his mark in a game that really mattered to Inter’s season.

Inter struggle without Thuram

On the other hand, Thuram’s Champions League goals were all decisive, specifically the 1-0 win away to Young Boys, plus two of the total three goals scored in the Round of 16 against Feyenoord.

Joaquin ‘Tucu’ Correa was widely expected to leave the club last summer, but they could not find a suitable replacement and decided to keep him as another alternative.

It is safe to say, the Argentine’s presence has been negligible, contributing one goal and four assists in 18 games, but he was left out of the Champions League squad entirely.