Icardi out of Roma clash

Inter captain Mauro Icardi has been ruled out of Saturday's trip to Roma due to a knee injury.

Nerazzurri boss Roberto Mancini stated earlier in the day that the striker's fitness would be assessed on Saturday after he sustained medial knee ligament damage in last weekend's 2-1 defeat of Bologna.

But when the squad to travel to the capital was named later in the day, Icardi's name was conspicuous by its absence.

There was better news, however, on Geoffrey Kondogbia with the powerful midfielder included.

"Geoffrey Kondogbia has trained and he's okay. He'll travel to Rome and we'll see whether he can play," said Mancini.

The clash at the Stadio Olimpico is key with both teams seeking at least a place in next season's Champions League. Inter are fifth, two places and five points adrift of Roma.

"The players know it's a big match, I don't know if it's decisive. We'll see what happens tomorrow," Mancini added.

"There are 27 points to play for, an awful lot. I still believe it's open.

"Roma started out this championship with the aim of winning it. I always said that there were three or four teams that were stronger than us, and now they're back to form.

"My regret is that we lost so many games in the second half of the season, especially as some of those losses were undeserved. If we win tomorrow, we'll be well-placed."