After last week’s thrilling first leg, European heavyweights Inter Milan and Barcelona reconvene on Tuesday, to conclude their Champions League semi-final.
Having shared six goals in Spain, they will meet again for the second leg at San Siro, with Inter aiming to take one step closer to a fourth continental crown and Barca ultimately seeking their sixth.
As the competition’s meanest defence tackled its most explosive attack, a chaotic contest played out in Catalonia last Wednesday.
Despite losing a two-goal lead, the Italian giants were relatively content to settle for a draw against Yamal-inspired hosts, with home advantage on their side in this week’s return leg.
Simone Inzaghi‘s side had conceded just five times and kept eight clean sheets en route to the semi-finals – matching Barca’s 19 points in the league phase, then beating Feyenoord before ending Bayern Munich’s hopes of reaching a home final – but they struggled to keep the Blaugrana at bay.
Of course, Inter overcame Barca in the semis when they last won the Champions League, back in 2010, as Jose Mourinho‘s experienced team prevailed 3-2 on aggregate before lifting the trophy against Bayern a few weeks later.
Inzaghi’s squad has a similar age profile to that vintage side, and despite some recent setbacks they have been tough to defeat: unbeaten in their last 15 home matches in UEFA’s top competition, winning 12, they are a formidable force at San Siro.
Historically, the Nerazzurri have also won nine of their last 11 home semi-final games in Europe, and another success would see the 2023 runners-up meet either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain in this season’s decider.
Barcelona are still on track for three trophies – in addition to their Spanish Super Cup success earlier this season.
Having beaten old foes Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final, the Catalan club are also leading Los Blancos in La Liga, with just four games to the finish line following Saturday’s 2-1 win over rock-bottom Real Valladolid.
Barca have now won 24 of their last 30 matches – only losing to Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, when the tie was essentially over – and their lightning-fast attack is feared across the continent.
All told, Hansi Flick‘s team have scored 40 times in this season’s edition, closing in on an overall record set by Barca themselves in 1999-00 (45). So, having impressed under Flick – a former winner with Bayern – Barcelona are now bidding to reach the final for a first time since claiming their fifth European Cup in 2015.
Yet, history is not exactly on their side ahead of the second leg: not only have the Blaugrana lost their last four semi-final games away from home, but they have also managed just two away wins at this stage of the competition while losing on 11 occasions.
Both of the last two games between these teams have ended 3-3, and there is every reason to expect more goals on this occasion, with such a big prize at stake.
Out of form and ageing, once-solid Inter are creaking at the seams; Barca have their own flaws, but the Catalans can leave Milan victorious due to their incredibly potent attack.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
