Inter coach Cristi Chivu starts Ivan Provedel against Fiorentina after keeping faith in Josep Martinez

Inter coach Cristi Chivu started Ivan Provedel in goal for the Serie A match against Fiorentina on 2026-10-25. This selection marked a change from the previous match, where Chivu kept Josep Martinez in the starting lineup despite public pressure to drop him.

Chivu had refused to replace Martinez for the UEFA Champions League third round match against Shakhtar. Inter won that game 1-0 on Wednesday. The coach maintained his support for the Spanish goalkeeper even though fans and media had called for a change.

Martinez had made errors in earlier matches against Real Madrid and Club Brugge. Inter lost 1-2 to Real Madrid and 3-4 to Club Brugge in those fixtures. These performances contributed to the calls for Martinez to be removed from the starting eleven.

Chivu explained that Provedel deserved the start due to personal reasons. The coach cited the birth of Provedel's son and his support for teammate Pepo as factors in the decision. This reasoning came after days of speculation about the goalkeeper position.

The Inter starting lineup featured Provedel in goal. The defense included Bisseck, Akanji, and Bastoni. Diouf, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Augusto, Thuram, and Esposito also started the match against Fiorentina.

Fiorentina fielded Radu Drăgușin among their starters. The Fiorentina lineup also included De Gea, Jimenez, Pongracic, Valdepenas, Ndour, Fagioli, Brescianini, Mastantuono, Pellegrino, and Njie.

Last season, Inter and Fiorentina played two matches. Inter won the first encounter 3-0. The second match ended in a 1-1 draw. These results provided context for the latest meeting between the two clubs in Serie A.