Inter Milan vs FC Barcelona: Early Champions League final for a ticket to Munich!

Inter Milan and FC Barcelona play this Tuesday the return of the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. The 'Azulgrana' team knows that only victory will do to qualify, while the 'Nerazzurri' team is also one win away from advancing to the final in Munich, trying to take advantage of the advantage of closing the tie at home.

After the tribute to football that both teams offered in the first leg in Montjuïc, the tie is totally open, with the 'Culé' side as favorites due to the game displayed this year. Barça, despite the draw in Catalonia, was a clear dominator of the match and deserved the victory more, but the Italian defense withstood the offensive steamroller assembled by Hansi Flick.

• 📺 Schedules and TV: when and where to watch the match live in Spain, Europe, America, Africa and Asia: SEE

In that sense, Barça is obliged to be more effective in attack and secure in defense if they want to leave Milan with the ticket to Munich. The Giuseppe Meazza will be a real hotbed and, in addition, they will have to deal with the always controversial refereeing of Szymon Marciniak, chosen by UEFA to take the reins of such a decisive clash.

Barça will look for the most important victory of this 2025 in Milan

FC Barcelona players in a Champions League match prior to the semi-finals of the tournament

The Pole, after the unusual penalty disallowed to Julián Álvarez in the shootout of the Atlético-Real Madrid of the round of 16, will lead Barça for the sixth time and, for the third time, a clash between 'culés' and 'nerazzurri'. For now, the Catalans have only won one match with the 44-year-old referee in Champions.

Hence, the challenge for Flick's team is tremendous, especially considering that Inter, so far in the Champions League, is undefeated at home (5 wins and 1 draw). However, in the first leg, Barcelona made it clear that they can breach Simone Inzaghi's always strong defense.

The Italians had only conceded 5 goals in their first 12 Champions League matches, but they conceded 3 from Montjuïc. Still, they saved a draw and this also shows the need to improve a lot in defense.

The absences of Alejandro Balde and Jules Koundé will weigh heavily, so the team will have to be more supportive in the recovery and occupation of spaces. And Barça has 23 victories in 29 matches this 2025, including the final of the Copa del Rey against Real Madrid (3-2).

However, Tuesday's will be the most important so far, as it is the key to go for the title of highest hierarchy in the last decade. Barcelona has not reached a Champions League final since 2015, a very heavy burden that has included tough defeats in between. This May 6, it is time to leave all the bad behind and go again for glory.

⚽The last 5 matches of Barça:

1. 🟢 Valladolid 1-2 FC Barcelona. Matchday 34 of LaLiga.
2. 🟡FC Barcelona 3-3 Inter Milan. First leg of the Champions League semi-finals.
3. 🟢 FC Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid. Final of the Copa del Rey.
4. 🟢 1-0 against Mallorca in Montjuïc. Matchday 33 of LaLiga.
5. 🟢 4-3 against Celta in Montjuïc. Matchday 32 of LaLiga.

Inter will exhaust its last bullet to try to save the season

On the other hand, for Inter, the Champions League is at this point the last bullet in the chamber to try to save a season that looked like a treble, but that in recent weeks has become unexpectedly complicated at the local level.

Simone Inzaghi's team chained three defeats in a row between league and cup, with which they lost the lead in Serie A and the possibility of advancing to the final of the Copa Italia. After the 'stick' that meant losing the Italian Super Cup in January, AC Milan defeated them again (0-39 to kick them out of a tournament where the 'Nerazzurri' were clear favorites.

In the league, Naples has taken a three-point advantage with just three matchdays to play, beyond Inter's victory on Saturday against Hellas Verona (1-0). Therefore, the team is betting everything on the Champions League, a tournament they have only won three times, the last one in 2010. 

Inter still has fresh the bitter memory of the final lost in 2023 against Manchester City (1-0) and hopes to get revenge this year against Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain. First, they will have to overcome Barcelona again, as they did in 2010 with José Mourinho on the bench.

⚽The last five matches of Inter:

1. 🟢Inter Milan 1-0 Hellas Verona. Matchday 35 of Serie A.
2. 🟡FC Barcelona 3-3 Inter Milan. First leg of the Champions League semi-finals.
3. 🔴 Inter Milan 0-1 AS Roma. Matchday 34 of Serie A.
4. 🔴 Inter Milan 0-3 AC Milan. Second leg of the Copa Italia semi-finals.
5. 🔴 Bologna 1-0 Inter Milan. Matchday 33 of Serie A.

• 📋 Squad list: the list of Barcelona players called up for the match: SEE

Hansi Flick recovers Lewandowski, but will retouch his defense again 

Robert Lewandowski celebrating a goal in the Barça-Dortmund (4-0)

To face Inter, Hansi Flick will have at his disposal practically the same team that he lined up in the first leg in Montjuïc, with the exception of Koundé. Eric García is the most reliable option to replace the Frenchman on the right side, while Gerard Martín will be again on the left side.

Szczesny will be in goal despite the return of Ter Stegen, while Iñigo Martínez and Pau Cubarsí will remain in the center of the defense. In addition, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri González and Dani Olmo are called to give fluidity and meaning to the 'Azulgrana' game in the midfield.

In attack, Raphiha and Lamine Yamal will be able to form the offensive trident again with Robert Lewandowski. The 'LRL' has 28 goals in 13 Champions League matches, surpassing the 27 that the 'MSN' scored in 2014-15.

That is why the return of the Pole, without a doubt, is the best news for Barça ahead of the return leg at the Giuseppe Meazza, although it is likely that the '9' will wait for his opportunity on the bench. Ferran Torres scored a goal in the first leg and has been responding very well as a center forward.

The other fixed variants for the Catalans will be Fermín López, Gavi and Ronald Araujo, the three starters on Saturday against Valladolid. Understanding that the match can be very long if it goes to extra time, Flick will have to be very cautious with the management of minutes this Tuesday.

• ℹ️ Lineups: the possible starting XI of Inter Milan and FC Barcelona: SEE

Inter is also obliged to make rotations in attack 

Lautaro Martínez in a match with Inter Milan

However, the 'Nerazzurri' team will also have to make some tweaks in its XI. In addition to the doubts left by Federico Dimarco in the one-on-one against Lamine Yamal (Carlos Augusto could take his place), Simone Inzaghi is also not convinced of the physical condition of his captain and goalscorer, Lautaro Martínez.

The Argentine left at halftime of the first leg with an elongation in the hamstrings of his left thigh and, although he trained normally in Monday's session, it is still not confirmed that he can play the 90 minutes on Tuesday against Barça.

In the second half in Montjuïc, Mehdi Taremi accompanied Marcus Thuram in attack. Instead of risking him from the start, knowing that the '10' is not at his physical peak, it is likely that Inzaghi, like Hansi Flick, will reserve his 'killer' for the second half.

And, with the possibility of playing an extension in case of a draw, without a doubt both coaches will have to be very cautious when it comes to dosing the loads in a match that promises to be more intense and dramatic than the first leg.

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