Comments and predictions for Barcelona vs Inter Milan: Breaking down the Italian wall
The match between Barcelona vs Inter Milan in the Champions League takes place at 3:00 a.m. on May 1. Nghe An Newspaper analyzes performance, makes football comments and predicts the score.
Latest Barcelona vs Inter Milan squad information
Barcelona are still without key striker Robert Lewandowski, who suffered a hamstring injury earlier this month and could miss the return leg as well.
However, they hope that number one left-back Alejandro Balde can return. If Balde is not fit in time, Gerard Martin will continue to play in his place, joining Inigo Martinez, Jules Kounde and Pau Cubarsi in defence. Meanwhile, Marc Bernal and Marc Casado are still absent due to knee injuries.
Number one goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has returned to the squad after a long injury since September, but Wojciech Szczesny is likely to still start.
Up front, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha – who have combined for the most goals in the Champions League this season (5) and created the most chances together (16) – will support Ferran Torres. The trio have scored 27 of Barca’s 37 goals in European competition this season.
On the other side, Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez is in extremely good form, scoring in five consecutive Champions League matches, becoming the first player to score more than 20 goals for the Nerazzurri in this arena.
Marcus Thuram, who has scored a career-best 14 Serie A goals this season, is hopeful of playing after missing the last three games with a thigh injury. Alternatives Joaquin Correa, Marko Arnautovic and Medhi Taremi have not made much of an impression.
Benjamin Pavard sprained his ankle on Sunday and is a doubt, while Denzel Dumfries and Piotr Zielinski returned to action against Roma.
Two pillars Alessandro Bastoni and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, after serving suspensions in Serie A last weekend, will return to Simone Inzaghi's main squad in Catalonia.
Latest expected lineup for Barcelona vs Inter Milan
Barcelona:
Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Martin; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Torres
Inter Milan:
Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram
Latest football commentary on Barcelona vs Inter Milan
After making it through the quarter-finals with relative ease, Barcelona are now aiming to reach their first Champions League final since winning their fifth European trophy in 2015.
Since then, rivals Real Madrid have won five European titles, but this season, with Los Blancos eliminated, the Blaugrana's young and dynamic squad are still going strong.
Under German coach Hansi Flick in his first season in Europe, Barca averaged 3.1 goals per game – only Flick's former Bayern Munich had a better record (3.2) – and finished second behind Liverpool in the new group stage, before overcoming Benfica in the last 16.
Then, a 4-0 home win over Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals – a round they have lost in five of their last six – put them one foot in the semi-finals, despite a 3-1 loss in Germany.
Along the way, Barcelona have won five and drawn one of their six home games, scoring 21 goals in total. Flick's side continued their impressive form by scoring three more against Sevilla in Saturday's Copa del Rey final, beating Real Madrid in a dramatic 'El Clasico'.
Jules Kounde's 116th-minute goal secured a thrilling 3-2 victory, helping Barca win their 32nd national cup title in history.
They also have a four-point lead over Real Madrid in the La Liga title race. Barcelona have won 23 of their last 28 games – losing only to Dortmund – and they need to extend that run next Wednesday when they face a big test: Inter are unbeaten in 15 consecutive home Champions League games.
In addition, Barca also failed to win in the last two meetings with Inter – in the group stage of the 2022-23 season – and lost in the semi-final confrontation.
Barcelona may have the upper hand with six wins from 12 Champions League meetings with Inter, but the Italians have won the most important clash: Jose Mourinho's experienced side beat Barca 3-2 on aggregate before going on to win the title in 2010.
Having won their third European title that year, Inter were also runners-up in the 2023 Champions League after losing to Manchester City, and are now determined to go one step further.
After winning 19 points with Barca in the group stage this season, Inter defeated Feyenoord both home and away in the round of 16, before ending Bayern Munich's dream of reaching the final right at home.
Davide Frattesi's late goal in Bavaria set up a tense second leg at the San Siro, where Inter drew 2-2 and booked their place in the semi-finals.
Under Simone Inzaghi, Inter have been notoriously difficult to beat, losing just two of their last 20 Champions League games. The upcoming game will also mark the Italian's 50th appearance in the competition, and none of his compatriots have won as many games (26).
Despite scoring just 19 goals compared to Barcelona's 37, it is the solidity of their defence that is Inter's strong point: they have only conceded five goals and have kept eight clean sheets.
However, Inter’s recent form is worrying. They lost 3-0 to AC Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-final – their fifth consecutive defeat against their city rivals – and suffered two successive defeats in Serie A.
After losing to Bologna with a last-minute goal, then being knocked out of the national cup by Milan, Inter continued to lose 0-1 at home to Roma on Sunday, leaving them in second place in the rankings, three points behind Napoli with only four rounds of the season left.
Before returning to Serie A to face Hellas Verona at the weekend, Inter need to regain their solidity and limit Barca's attacking power as much as possible.
Latest Barcelona vs Inter Milan score prediction
Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the results of the match.Barcelona vs Inter Milanas follows:
- Sportsmole:Barcelona 2-0 Inter Milan
- WhoScore:Barcelona 2-1 Inter Milan
- Our newspaper predicts:Barcelona 2-0 Inter Milan
When and where to watch Barcelona vs Inter Milan live?
To watch the live match Barcelona vs Inter Milan in the Champions League taking place at 3:00 a.m. on May 1, viewers can watch onK+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. Wish you have fun watching football.