Spence makes first Inter start as Bonny joins Thuram against Shakhtar
Djed Spence is in Inter’s starting side for the first time, while Ange-Yoan Bonny partners Marcus Thuram in the Champions League fixture at San Siro.
Inter have named Djed Spence for his first start for the club and paired Ange-Yoan Bonny with Marcus Thuram against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League at San Siro on 21 October 2026. Football Italia’s published line-up puts both players in a side seeking its first points of the league phase after two defeats.
Lautaro Martínez is unavailable with a hamstring strain, according to Football Italia. The outlet says Bonny was preferred to Pio Esposito alongside Thuram, while Alessandro Bastoni moves into the centre of Inter’s three-man defence. Reports differ on how long Martínez will be out.
Inter and Shakhtar Donetsk starting line-ups
Football Italia lists Inter’s starters as J. Martínez; Manuel Akanji, Alessandro Bastoni, Carlos Augusto; Djed Spence, Nicolò Barella, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Petar Sučić, Federico Dimarco; Marcus Thuram and Ange-Yoan Bonny. Spence’s inclusion is his first start in an Inter shirt, the outlet reports.
Shakhtar’s listed starters are Dmytro Riznyk; Vinícius Tobias, Valeriy Bondar, Mykola Matviyenko, Pedro Henrique; Oleh Ocheretko; Alisson Santana, Pedrinho, Mendoza, Marlon Gomes; and Kauã Elias, according to Football Italia.
Why the Champions League fixture matters for Inter
Inter lost their opening two league-phase matches, including a 4-3 home defeat to Club Brugge, Cult of Calcio reported. The outlet also recorded a 2-1 loss at Real Madrid and said Inter had lost seven of their previous eight Champions League games. Their meeting with Shakhtar gives them another chance to collect points at home after that difficult start.
Shakhtar arrived with four points from two matches: a 1-1 draw with PSV Eindhoven and a 3-1 win over AEK Athens, according to Bolavip. Cult of Calcio reported that the Ukrainian side had won ten of its first 12 competitive fixtures this season, with one draw and one defeat. That form makes the visitors a substantial test for an Inter side already under pressure in Europe.
The clubs last met in the Champions League in November 2021, according to Cult of Calcio. It reported that Shakhtar had failed to score in their previous five meetings with Inter. This fixture brings that record together with contrasting starts to the current European campaign: Inter enter without a point, while Shakhtar have taken four.
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Sources and context
- Champions League line-ups: Inter vs. Shakhtar DonetskFootball Italia (article republished by Yahoo Sports)
- Preview: Inter vs Shakhtar - Team News, Lineups & PreviewCult of Calcio
- Inter Milan vs Shakhtar Donetsk: How to watch, Live Stream, TV Channel and Time for a UEFA Champions League game on October 21, 2026Bolavip
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.