Ranocchia missing for Italy and Inter

Andrea Ranocchia has been ruled out of Italy's friendly against the United States and the second leg of FC Internazionale Milano's UEFA Champions League tie against Olympique de Marseille after suffering an injury in training with the Nerazzurri on Thursday.

The 24-year-old centre-back felt pain in his right leg and subsequent scans revealed a second-degree thigh muscle pull. Ranocchia will be sidelined for around a month. He has dropped out of the Azzurri squad to meet the US in Genoa on Wednesday and will probably miss Inter's round of 16 return leg on 13 March, when Marseille visit San Siro holding a 1-0 lead.

Inter had already learned on Thursday that right-back Maicon would likely sit out the Marseille game because of a strained tendon in his knee.