Barcelona – Inter, Champions League: announcement, forecasts, where to watch the broadcast

30 April 19:20

Today, at 22:00 Kyiv time, Spanish Barcelona will face Italian Inter in the first leg of the second semifinal of the UEFA Champions League, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports. The two big clubs are once again close to participating in the most important match of the European football season, but only one of them will get there.

When: Wednesday, April 30, 22:00.
Where: Lewis Companis Olympic Stadium, Barcelona.
What: The first leg of the second semifinal of the Champions League.
Who: three-time European champion Inter vs. five-time champion Barcelona.

What you need to know

After losing five of their last six Champions League quarterfinals prior to this season, Barcelona showed no signs of fear of the big stage, easily beating Dortmund to reach their first semifinal in this tournament since the 2018/19 season. Hansi Flick ‘s men will be expecting a good first performance in this clash, given their excellent record against Inter in this tournament (6 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses).

Their devastating attacking trio of Rafinha, Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal excelled at home against Dortmund, and with a combined 27 of Barcelona’s 37 goals in the competition this season, the strikers will undoubtedly put Inter’s defense to the test.

The intrigue lies in pitting Barcelona’s powerful attack against Inter’s stingy defense. While the Nerazzurri conceded three goals in their quarterfinal success against Bayern Munich, they still have eight clean sheets in the tournament this season-two more than any other team. This will be their toughest task yet, but with only two defeats in their last 20 Champions League matches (13 wins, 5 draws), Simone Inzaghi ‘s side will be hoping to contain the hosts.

And they have a striker of their own in good form to trouble the hosts at the other end of the pitch – Lautaro Martinez became the first Inter player to score in five consecutive Champions League matches, scoring in both games against Bayern Munich.

Possible lineups

Barcelona: Szczęsny; Kunde, Kubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Gerard Martin; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Rafinha; Ferran Torres.

Inter: Sommer; Augusto, Acherbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Calkhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Barella, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Turam.

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Comments

“I really appreciate Inter, both for their style of play and for what they do. They are an experienced team that defends exceptionally well. They are well organized, not only defensively but also when they have the ball. They are really tactically smart. Overall, Inter is a fantastic team. They have extraordinary strikers. Their defense is also top notch. “Inter is led by a great coach. What Inzaghi has done in recent years is really incredible.”
Hansi Flick, Barcelona coach

“Barcelona is a team that has been built very well over time. They have everything to play a great match, and Hansi Flick provides a great organization, as he did with Bayern Munich and the German national team. We also have to congratulate them for the work they are doing with the youth sector. These great talents are growing. Lamine Yamal is a unique talent in the world, he does great things individually, but he is also very useful for the team.”
Simone Inzaghi, Inter coach

“Defensively, Inter are a very strong team. It is their biggest weapon; they prove it every year in the Champions League. We want to reach the final and show who we are.”
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona forward

“We have a lot of enthusiasm. In three years, we have reached the semifinals twice, and this has not happened to Inter for many years. We are doing a great job in the Champions League and trying to make our fans’ dreams come true. We have a great desire to play in the final again.”
Lautaro Martinez, Inter striker

What the bookmakers say

Bookmakers consider the Catalan team to be the favorite of today’s match. Barcelona’s victory is given odds of 1.68, the draw is estimated at 4.15, and Inter’s victory is 4.90.

In general, Barcelona is also considered the favorite in the two-match confrontation. Bookmakers give odds of 1.49 for Barcelona to reach the final, while Inter’s odds are 2.61.