Inter Milan vs Barcelona

A place in the Champions League final is up for grabs as Inter Milan and Barcelona meet at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in the return leg of their evenly poised semi-final tie.

Inter Milan may be kicking themselves for dropping a two-goal cushion in a breathless 3-3 draw at Montjuic last week. Simone Inzaghi’s side must mentally recover to bolster their hopes of securing a second grand final appearance in three years. Confidence comes from their eye-catching 16-game unbeaten home streak at Europe’s top table (W13, D3). Furthermore, ‘I Nerazzurri’ boast an imperious home record against Spanish opposition (W12, D10, L4), including a commendable return of five unbeaten games from the previous six against Barcelona at Meazza (W2, D3, L1). However, a patchy form could throw a spanner in the works as Inter only won twice across their last competitive matches (W1, D2, L3), courtesy of a narrow 1-0 win against Hellas Verona at the weekend. 

On the other hand, Barcelona fought from behind to beat Real Valladolid 2-1 and strengthen their grip on the La Liga title, maintaining a four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid. Firmly in the race for an unprecedented quadruple, Los Blaugranas will be out to secure their first appearance in the Champions League final since 2014/15. Hansi Flick’s men have been rampant on the road lately, winning four of their last five away games in this competition (L1). However, there’s a note of caution as the runaway La Liga leaders lament a humiliating record in the Champions League semi-final away legs (W2, D2, L11). Yet, they can draw heart from winning three of their last six away games against Serie A clubs (D2, L1).