Feyenoord vs Inter: Bastoni out, Chivu short-handed

Why Feyenoord vs Inter is trending

Feyenoord vs Inter kicks off the Champions League group stage tonight at Stadion De Kuip in Rotterdam, and Internazionale arrive without the suspended Alessandro Bastoni and four injured players as manager Cristian Chivu tries to pull his team out of a rough stretch.

Both sides sit on three points in the table, Inter 21st and Feyenoord 26th. Inter only have those points because they scraped a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk while down to 10 men, after losing their first two group games to Real Madrid and Club Brugge.

Who Inter are missing in Rotterdam

Bastoni was sent off in that Shakhtar win and is suspended for this one. Chivu is also without Lautaro Martinez, Curtis Jones, Luis Henrique and John Stones, all out injured.

One player going the other way is Djed Spence. He did not play for months after representing England at the World Cup, but he is now a regular starter for Inter.

Chivu's message before kickoff

Chivu told Sky Sport Italia that Feyenoord will be a different test at home. "It is a tough environment, the fans give a lot and we know they are a different team at home with intensity," he said, adding his team must be ready "to face adversity and situations we cannot afford to handle without determination and grit."

He also pointed to specifics his side needs to get right. "We need quality, intensity both defending and attacking," Chivu said, naming the wing-backs timing their runs and service to the strikers. "We can't know what will happen, but we are prepared for any situation."

A bad week before a tough trip

Inter arrive in this mood of concern after a run of poor performances that ended with a 3-1 loss to Milan in the Derby della Madonnina on Saturday. That result is the backdrop for a Champions League trip Chivu has already called a tough environment, with his squad thinner than it was a week ago.

Facts per BBC, Yahoo Sports. Opinion is the taproom's.