Barcelona vs Inter Milan: Preview and Prediction

Published by William | Filed under Champions League, Football (aka soccer), Predictions

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11/24 20:45 Barcelona vs Inter Milan – Odds | Stats


In the words of the one and only Neil Young, it’s getting down to the wire as teams collide and battle it out to see who will advance to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. While many of the groups have been extremely competitive and will be up for grabs on Matchdays 9 & 10, none of them have been as surprising as Group F, which features the defending champions, Barcelona. They welcome the defending Italian champions Inter Milan to Camp Nou on Tuesday for what is a must-win situation if the Catalans wish to repeat as the premier club in Europe. Samuel Eto’o returns home for the first time since his highly publicized swap for Zlatan Ibrahimovic while Thierry Henry looks to shake off what has been an emotional week after controversies surrounding his World Cup berth-clinching assist continue to escalate.


Barcelona:


Barcelona seems to have been bitten by the injury bug and frankly, it could not have come at a worse time. Star striker Lionel Messi suffered a thigh injury in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao and is questionable for Tuesday’s match. Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic did not make the trip for Saturday’s match as he nursed a thigh injury as well in hopes of being fit for the rematch with his former club. Also questionable for the match is defender Eric Abidal, midfielder Yaya Toure, and defender Rafael Marquez. Both Abidal and Toure tested positive for the H1N1 virus and Marquez was held out of Saturday’s match for the same symptoms. After a draw and a loss to Rubin Kazan in their previous group stage matches, the defending champs have their backs pinned against the wall heading into Tuesday’s match with Inter. If Barca is to lose and Rubin Kazan defeats Dynamo Kiev, the party is over for the Catalans.


Inter Milan:


While Barcelona seems to have stalled as of late, Inter Milan has been on quite the tear. They boast a comfortable 5 point lead over Juventus in the Serie A standings and have not dropped a match since September 26th to UC Sampdoria. Inter boss Jose Mourinho assured that striker Samuel Eto’o will be in the starting lineup Tuesday despite being used as a substitute in Saturday’s 3-1 win at Bologna. It will be interesting to see how he is received by the fans in his first appearance at Camp Nou since being transferred to the Italian champs. Also expected to return is Dutch international Wesley Sneijder who did not feature in Saturday’s match as he recovered from a knock of his own.


Prediction:


There are several questions heading into Tuesday’s match which make this one tough to call. Will Messi and Ibrahimovic play? Can Henry shake off the critics and play his game in this do or die match? How will Eto’o fare in his highly anticipated return? Here is what I think. Neither Messi nor Ibra would miss this match for the world. Expect to see them both in the starting lineup. Henry is a professional to the highest degree and will be there with all he can offer. However, he has expressed that he has been deeply troubled by the France – Ireland controversy, so much that he even mulled retirement. It will be interesting to see if he is effective. Eto’o is notorious for performing his best in high profile matches and this would be in my opinion, exactly what he lives for. All this being said, I think with their backs against the wall, the defending European champions get the much needed W at home.


Pick:


Barcelona 2 – 1 Inter Milan


Bet of the Match:


Barcelona at 1.77 from 188 Bet


**Note**: Good price on the Draw from Betfair at 3.75