FC Barcelona is set to welcome Inter on Wednesday for the inaugural leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal tie. This follows a successful period for Hansi Flick`s squad, who recently secured their second piece of silverware for the 2024-25 season by defeating Carlo Ancelotti`s Real Madrid 3-2 in the Copa del Rey final. The Catalan giants are still pursuing a potential treble under their German manager, currently sitting atop the La Liga standings with a four-point advantage over Real Madrid, in addition to reaching the final four of Europe`s premier club competition. Inter, meanwhile, has endured a challenging week, suffering three consecutive losses for the first time under Simone Inzaghi – defeats in Serie A against Bologna and AS Roma, coupled with elimination by city rivals AC Milan in the Coppa Italia semifinals. The Nerazzurri now trail Antonio Conte`s Napoli by three points in the Serie A table with only four matches remaining, increasing the likelihood of ending the season without a trophy.
Earlier this week, Spain experienced a widespread power outage affecting major cities including Madrid and Barcelona. This blackout caused significant disruptions to transport, including issues at airports. With Inter scheduled to fly to Spain on Tuesday, the situation evoked memories of a similar disruption in 2010. During the Champions League semifinals that year, the eruption of Iceland`s Eyjafjallajökull volcano grounded flights across Europe due to a massive ash cloud. Pep Guardiola`s Barcelona team was unable to fly to Milan for the first leg and had to undertake an arduous journey of approximately 1,000 kilometers by bus, a trip that spanned around 14 hours over two days, including an overnight stop in Cannes, France.
Match Details and Odds
- Date: Wednesday, April 30 | Kick-off Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Venue: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain
- Streaming: Paramount+
- Betting Odds: FC Barcelona -165; Draw +300; Inter +425
Previous Encounters
The most recent meetings between the two sides were during the 2022-23 Champions League group stage, the same season Inter reached the final before losing to Manchester City. In the Matchday 3 fixture at San Siro, Hakan Çalhanoğlu scored the sole goal for Inter just before halftime. The return match at the Camp Nou proved to be a six-goal thriller. Ousmane Dembélé`s opener for Barça was overturned by goals from Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez. Robert Lewandowski equalized for Barcelona eight minutes from time, but Robin Gosens put Inter ahead again in the 89th minute. However, Lewandowski snatched a point for Barcelona two minutes into added time, making it 3-3. That draw marked the first time Inter avoided defeat in Barcelona on their sixth attempt, and those were their only goals in their last five visits. Notably, these two clubs also faced each other in the 2010 Champions League semifinals.
Route to the Semifinals
Barcelona was among the top performers in the league phase, finishing second in their group with 19 points from eight matches (six wins, one draw against Atalanta on the final matchday, and one defeat). Before eliminating Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals, FC Barcelona comfortably defeated Benfica 4-1 on aggregate in the round of 16. Inter also had a successful group stage campaign, securing fourth place with six wins, one draw, and a single loss away to Bayer Leverkusen. The Italian side overcame Feyenoord in the round of 16 after the Dutch club had knocked out AC Milan in the playoffs, and then famously defeated German giants Bayern Munich 4-3 on aggregate in the quarterfinals.
Anticipated Lineups
FC Barcelona (Predicted XI):
- Wojciech Szczesny
- Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez
- Pedri, Gavi
- Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha
- Ferran Torres
Inter (Predicted XI):
- Yann Sommer
- Yann Bisseck, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni
- Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrix Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco
- Lautaro Martinez, Marko Arnautovic
Key Player
Raphinha, FC Barcelona: The Brazilian winger has enjoyed an outstanding season, having already netted 30 goals in 50 appearances across all competitions. He has become a vital player for Barcelona under manager Hansi Flick. If he were to win the Champions League, potentially as part of a treble, he would likely emerge as a strong contender for the Ballon d`Or award later this year.
Talking Point: Injury Concerns
Both teams are grappling with significant injury issues impacting their squads. Barcelona will be without left-back Alejandro Balde and, crucially, former Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, although the latter is expected to recover in time for the second leg in Milan next week. On the Inter side, both Denzel Dumfries and Piotr Zielinski are back in contention. Marcus Thuram has rejoined group training and will travel with the squad, but his availability for the starting lineup remains uncertain. French defender Benjamin Pavard will be unavailable for Wednesday`s match after sustaining an injury during the first half of Inter`s 1-0 home defeat to AS Roma on Sunday.
Prediction
Inter finds themselves in a difficult patch, a situation that could favor FC Barcelona. However, securing a significant advantage will be challenging for Flick`s side, especially knowing they must travel to Milan for the return leg next week to potentially reach the final.
Predicted Score: Barcelona 2, Inter 1.
