Bad news for Inter! Lautaro Martínez could miss the rematch against Barça

Everything indicates that Inter Milan will not be able to count on Lautaro Martínez for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final against FC Barcelona. The Italian team issued a very brief report on the physical condition of the '10', who could only play the first half of the first leg at Montjuïc.

"The tests carried out this morning at the Humanitas Institute in Rozzano indicate that the Argentine striker suffered a strain in the flexors of his left thigh," reads the 'nerazzurri' medical statement. However, the club reserves the time off for the player.

🏥When could Lautaro Martínez return with Inter after his injury?

In that sense, his evolution will mark the moment of his return to action. In principle, media such as 'La Gazzetta dello Sport' consider that the 'Toro' depends on a "miracle" to be available on Tuesday against Barça, since that type of injury requires a recovery period of at least one or two weeks.

A serious strain, in fact, can lead to months of recovery, as well as a return to the field before the muscle fully recovers. Thus, everything indicates that Simone Inzaghi will not be able to count on his captain and scorer to seek qualification for the Champions League final, a stage he reached for the last time two years ago.

📌Lautaro Martínez, a key absence for Inter against Barça

This season, Lautaro has 21 goals and 6 assists in 47 games (3,572 minutes) with Inter. In the Champions League, he scored 8 goals in his first 13 appearances, the last of them in the second leg of the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich (2-2).

Martínez also scored against the 'Bavarians' in the first leg in Munich, as well as against Feyenooord in the first leg of the round of 16 (0-2). In the league phase, the Argentine scored against Red Star (4-0), Sparta Prague (0-1) and Monaco (3-0), in the latter case achieving a 'hat-trick'.

Against Barça, the player from Bahía Blanca also scored a couple of goals at Camp Nou in 2018 (2-1 defeat) and 2022 (3-3 draw), both matches belonging to the group stage. In the first leg of the 'semis', however, Lautaro completed a very discreet first half at Montjuïc.

❌Lautaro, disappeared in the Barça-Inter at Montjuïc

The '10' of Inter lost 4 individual duels, without shots on goal and with a couple of lost balls. In addition, he barely completed 6 of 8 passes (75%), falling offside once and with a foul committed in the 45 minutes he was on the field.

The 'Toro' went to the locker room in tears, knowing that he had possibly broken down. Mehdi Taremi came on for him after the break and the Iranian was much more active in the area as a companion to Marcus Thuram.

Unless there is a surprise, this will be the attacking duo in the second leg of the Champions League 'semis' against Barça. However, without Lautaro, the 'nerazzurri' team loses its great figure, the striker with the most hierarchy and experience to face decisive matches like Tuesday's.

Martínez will be a definite absence for the match on Saturday against Hellas Verona (20:45 CEST), where the 'nerazzurri' are obliged to add the three points at home to not say goodbye definitively to the 'Scudetto' of Serie A. 

• 📌 Follow the UEFA Champions League semi-finals live FC Barcelona vs Inter de Milán on FCBN and find out everything. Don't miss anything!