Barcelona vs Inter Milan: Champions League Preview and Prediction

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

Barcelona and Inter meet again in the Champions League semifinals this Tuesday at San Siro.

View the Preview and Prediction for the 4/28 2nd Leg at Camp Nou here.

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4/20 18:45 GMT Barcelona at Inter Milan – Odds | Stats


In a rematch of their group stage battles, European greats Inter Milan and Barcelona will take the pitch in the first leg of their semifinal clash this Tuesday at the infamous San Siro stadium. Due to the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland, Barcelona is having to make the 450 mile journey to Italy on the ground, arousing questions in the minds of doubters how this will affect the defending European champions. However, both teams have had to face an onslaught of tough fixtures as of late and fatigue is surely to be an issue for everyone. With so much on the line, those thoughts will have to be put aside for 90 minutes on Tuesday.


Barcelona:


The defending Champions League winners have been truly clicking lately, putting on the same type of displays they won them a treble last season. And while prolific goalscorer Lionel Messi has gotten most of the press, it has been nothing short of a complete team effort. In their victories over both Arsenal and league rivals Real Madrid, they absolutely dominated possession with their tactical triangle passing schemes and defensively, stifled their opponents so much to the point where they barely saw the goal. Specifically against Real, they were able to shut down star winger Cristiano Ronaldo completely making him an absolute non-factor. The question heading into this semifinal first leg is will a 2-day bus trip have an effect on them this Tuesday? Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets thinks it could “bring the team together” and help them focus on the task at hand. Either way, they have a difficult task taking on the team that booted Chelsea from the competition at their home ground of Stamford Bridge. One thing not helping the defending champions is the absence of Andres Iniesta, who reaggravated his nagging hamstring injury . However, Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be afforded an opportunity to prove his worth on the big stage against his former club as the striker returns to Champions League action.


Inter Milan:


The 4-time running defending Scudetto champions Inter Milan are right where they want to be as they look to overcome their Champions League woes that have haunted them in recent years. If they are to knock off Barca however, they will need former Catalan striker Samuel Eto’o to produce goals on the stage that he has done so many times before. Eto’o, the only player to ever score in 2 different Champions League finals, believes that the gap between the two clubs is quite large and that they must play flawless if they are to get the result they desire. Of course, the task many believe is Inter’s biggest concern is stopping Messi. Inter boss Jose Mourinho has been rumored to be fancying the idea of moving Brazilian fullback Maicon up to midfield in hopes of slowing down the Argentine International. Considering the wonderful goal he scored last Friday in their 2-0 defeat of Juventus, it may not be a bad idea. On the injury front, Inter has no real concerns heading into the tie and are expected to deploy a full strength, attacking lineup.

Inter needs Wesley Sneijder to lead the attack against Barcelona if they are to advance to Madrid .

Prediction:


When Barca and Inter met in the group stage of this season’s Champions League, Barcelona claimed the edge in the two fixtures with a 2-0 victory at Camp Nou after finishing in a 0-0 stalemate in their first match at San Siro. With the way Barcelona has been performing as of late, it’s truly difficult to go against the defending champs. However, I’m going to go with my gut and say Jose Mourinho’s squad gets the ever so important first leg victory at home against the Catalans.


Pick:


Inter Milan 1 – 0 Barcelona


Bet of the Match:


Inter Milan at 3.20 from Unibet






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