Barcelona – Inter

Inter can keep the intrigue alive until the return semi-final

On Wednesday, 30 April, Barcelona will play at home against Inter in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. The guests are considered as clear outsiders in the top four. The odds for Inter's away win have already crossed 5.00. Inter are at risk of being without a single trophy at all. The club had a nightmare week in Italy. First Inter lost to Milan with the score 0:3, then lost at home to Roma - 0:1. Thus, they have already definitely said goodbye to the Cup chances, and in the championship the initiative went to Napoli. Probably, the slump is due to the special preparation for Barcelona. Inter were very stable before that. There are no radical problems with the squad. Against Roma again a little bit let down by the realisation. The team still objectively created enough for one goal. There are also some problems with the squad. Marcus Thuram is bothered by a muscle injury. The main defender Bastoni missed the meeting with Roma because of yellow cards. Inter are hardly in a global crisis. After all the club knocked Bayern out of the Champions League a fortnight ago. They dealt with the German grandee confidently - the victory was deserved. Barcelona are approaching the match with completely different emotions. The Catalans survived a crazy thriller against Real Madrid. The team in the final of the King's Cup was losing 1:2 in the second half, but eventually squeezed the opponent. Barcelona took already the second trophy in the current season. Earlier there was a victory in the Spanish Super Cup. The question with the freshness of the team is open. Barcelona clearly left a lot of strength. In addition, there was a bright and long celebration after the final. It will be difficult to immediately adjust to a top-level match. Interestingly, Lamine Yamal was helped by a dramatic change in image. The footballer dyed his hair blond and immediately made two goal assists. Before that, Lamine was criticised for a significant slump. The striker in the last ten matches scored only one goal. Barcelona have their own important injury - Robert Lewandowski missed the Cup. In the final they managed without him, but against Inter the Pole should become a key figure. The Milanese have a very rich centre of the pitch, three defenders operate in the centre and have an advantage when shooting into the penalty area. It will be very difficult without Lewandowski. Inter, for example, were able to close down from Bayern's skittish players, but still failed to contain Harry Kane. Now Robert's participation in the first semi-final is excluded. At best, he is expected in a week. The odds on Inter look inflated. The team will definitely appear in the best version. The club may have sacrificed other tournaments for the Champions League. Inter have depth in the squad and an awkward scheme to play on the disadvantages of the favourite.