Inter have injury problems for Bari trip

Brief news ahead of this weekend's matches in Serie A:

* Inter coach Jose Mourinho will have to cope without a string of injured players again for the Serie A leaders' tricky visit to Bari tomorrow.

He cannot count on defenders Marco Materazzi and Cristian Chivu, who will need a period of convalescence after leaving hospital yesterday following surgery on a fractured skull.

Mourinho may try to bring full back Davide Santon back from two months out with a knee injury so he can use Javier Zanetti in midfield, as Sulley Muntari, Esteban Cambiasso and Dejan Stankovic are unlikely to be fit either.

* Mid-table Bari, who held Inter 1-1 at the San Siro in the season's opener, cannot field suspended midfielder Sergio Almiron.

* Mathieu Flamini is expected to come into second-placed Milan's starting line-up for Sunday's home game against bottom side Siena with midfielder Massimo Ambrosini suspended.

Clarence Seedorf and Alexandre Pato will probably not have recovered from their injury problems in time for the match, media report.

England midfielder David Beckham is tipped to keep his starting place for Milan, who are eight points behind Inter with a game in hand.

* Napoli, who share third place with Juventus, will face Palermo away on Sunday without suspended defender Hugo Campagnaro.

Argentine forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, who is in talks to extend his contract with the southern club, will be out for at least a month with a thigh problem.

* Juventus boss Ciro Ferrara may have to field academy product Ciro Immobile up front alongside captain Alessandro Del Piero at Chievo Verona on Sunday because of a long injury list and Amauri's suspension.