Comments and predictions for Inter Milan vs Barcelona: Turning the tables

Latest Inter Milan vs Barcelona squad information

Inter are likely to be without top scorer Lautaro Martinez due to a hamstring injury sustained in the first leg – giving Mehdi Taremi or Marko Arnautovic a chance to start – while French defender Benjamin Pavard has also joined the injury list.

However, central midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu was ready to return from suspension in the domestic league for the weekend win over Verona, where coach Inzaghi made almost all changes to the squad.

Kristjan Asllani converted an early penalty from that substitute, ending the Nerazzurri's winless run, but key players Denzel Dumfries, Marcus Thuram, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and goalkeeper Yann Sommer will return to the starting line-up for the return leg.

Barca coach Hansi Flick also rotated his squad last weekend, prioritizing this return match and the upcoming El Clasico against Real Madrid – most notably Marc-Andre ter Stegen starting for the first time after a long injury.

Veteran goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is likely to return to the starting line-up, while key players such as Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Pau Cubarsi will also start at San Siro. However, number one right-back Jules Kounde continues to be absent due to injury.

On the positive side, Robert Lewandowski and Alejandro Balde are both close to recovery and could be on the bench.

Inter Milan vs Barcelona latest expected lineup

Inter Milan:
Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Arnautovic, Thuram

Barcelona:
Szczesny; Garcia, Araujo, Cubarsi, Martinez; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Torres

Latest football commentary Inter Milan vs Barcelona

When the league's most solid defence clashed with its most explosive attack, a chaotic match unfolded in Catalonia last Wednesday.

Kicking off a classic semi-final, Marcus Thuram's clever backheel put Inter ahead just 30 seconds into the first half – the fastest goal in Champions League semi-final history.

Then Denzel Dumfries – who had scored just once in 39 appearances in the competition – struck twice either side of Lamine Yamal’s stunning strike. But Barcelona responded strongly with three goals at Montjuic.

Despite losing a two-goal lead, the Italian team was still satisfied with a draw away from home, as they will have home advantage in the second leg this week.

Simone Inzaghi's side conceded just five goals and kept eight clean sheets en route to the semi-finals - finishing level on points with Barca in the group stage, then beating Feyenoord to end Bayern Munich's dream of a home final - but they struggled to stop the Catalans.

Of course, Inter did overcome Barca in the semi-finals when they last won the Champions League in 2010, with Jose Mourinho's experienced side winning 3-2 on aggregate and then lifting the trophy after beating Bayern.

Inzaghi’s current squad has a similar average age to that of that year’s squad, and despite some recent struggles, they are tough to beat: unbeaten in their last 15 home Champions League games, winning 12 of them, making the San Siro a fortress.

Historically, the Nerazzurri have won nine of their 11 European Cup semi-finals at home. If they continue their success, the 2023 runners-up will face either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain in this season's final.

However, recent form has been less than convincing: a hard-fought 1-0 win over Hellas Verona on Saturday ended a run of five games without a win. The Serie A champions are still trailing Napoli in the title race.

Although Inter's treble dreams were dashed after their Coppa Italia defeat to city rivals AC Milan, Barcelona still have a chance to win the treble – after winning the Spanish Super Cup earlier in the season.

After defeating arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final, the Catalans are also leading La Liga ahead of Los Blancos, with just four games remaining, following a 2-1 win over bottom-placed Real Valladolid.

Barca have won 24 of their last 30 games – losing only to Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, when the tie was all but over – and their lightning-fast attack is striking fear across Europe.

After last week's wonder goal, Lamine Yamal has scored five goals in the Champions League this season, behind only Erling Haaland (10 goals in 2019-20), Kylian Mbappe (6 goals in 2016-17) and Raul (6 goals in 1995-96) among teenagers who have scored the most goals in a season.

Raphinha is also setting records. The Brazilian has been directly involved in 20 goals this season, second only to Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013-14 (17 goals, 4 assists) for most goals in a campaign.

Hansi Flick's side have now scored 40 goals in the Champions League this season, closing in on the record set by Barca in the 1999-2000 season (45 goals). Under Flick - who won the title with Bayern - Barcelona are heading to their first final since lifting the trophy for the fifth time in 2015.

However, history is not on their side ahead of the second leg: Barca have lost all four of their last four semi-final away games, and have won just two of their 13 away games in this round, while losing 11.

In addition, Barca have only won 1 of their 6 trips to Inter's San Siro stadium, contributing to their poor record against Serie A clubs: just 5 wins in 24 away games in Italy in the Champions League.

Latest Inter Milan vs Barcelona score prediction

Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the results of the match.Inter Milan vs Barcelonaas follows:

• Sportsmole:Inter Milan 2-3 Barcelona

• WhoScore:Inter Milan 1-2 Barcelona
• Our newspaper predicts:Inter Milan 1-2 Barcelona

When and where to watch Inter Milan vs Barcelona live?

To watch the live match Inter Milan vs Barcelona in the Champions League taking place at 2:00 a.m. on May 7, viewers can watch onK+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. Wish you have fun watching football.