Barcelona will be seeking revenge when they play host to Inter Milan at the Spotify Camp Nou on Wednesday night’s Champions League fixture.
The UEFA Champions League is back again with another round of intriguing fixtures. The mouth-watering European clash on Wednesday will be played at Camp Nou, as Barcelona lock horns with Inter Milan in a repeat of last week’s fixture.
The reverse fixture ended in a brilliant win for the Nerazzurri at San Siro, with Hakan Calhanoglu’s long-range piledriver deep into first-half stoppage time the difference between the two sides, which moved Inter Milan up to second place in Group C.
While Barcelona were not at their best, the game was not without controversy, with Barcelona fans left furious when VAR chalked off Pedri’s equaliser and then refused to give them a last-gasp penalty for a clear handball. The defeat has left the Catalan giants in a precarious position to qualify for the Round of 16, with Bayern Munich the odds-on favourite to finish top in Group C with three wins from three games.
The Blaugrana bounced back from their disappointing European result to continue their sparkling La Liga form. And they have now extended their run of consecutive league wins to seven after picking up a narrow 1-0 victory at home to Celta Vigo on Sunday. The hosts boast a near-perfect domestic record and are sitting pretty at the top of La Liga ahead of perennial rivals Real Madrid on goal difference.
However, the economic levers pulled by president Joan Laporta to make flashy signings in the summer were dependent on Barcelona having a deep run in the Champions League. So, to say there is a lot riding on this game would be an understatement.
Inter, meanwhile, will know a win here will almost certainly see them qualify for the knockout stages, even though their domestic form has been a touch erratic recently. The Nerazzurri needed a late Edin Dzeko goal to scrape past Sassuolo at the weekend, and they have now lost five of their previous ten games.
Their narrow win over Barcelona last week has relieved some of the pressure on manager Simone Inzaghi. But a failure to advance from the Champions League group stage, along with inconsistent domestic form, could ultimately lead to his sacking at San Siro.
However, Inter are in pole position to complete the former task, as even if this game ends in a draw, all the Nerazzurri would need is to beat Viktoria Plzen at home to get through, given both teams lost to Bayern, who will be the favourites to beat Barcelona again on the final matchday. The Hard Tackle now takes a closer look at both teams.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
The squad for #BarçaInter! pic.twitter.com/mFEYytVqKQ
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 11, 2022
Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen (ankle), Hector Bellerin, Memphis Depay, and Ronald Araujo (thigh) continue to miss out here due to their respective injuries. Former AC Milan man Franck Kessie has been cleared fit and included in the Barcelona squad.
The importance Xavi Hernandez is placing on this game was clear from his team selection on the weekend. The likes of Ousmane Dembele, Sergi Roberto, Eric Garcia, and Ansu Fati were left on the bench despite some significant injury problems as Barcelona secured a narrow 1-0 win over Celta Vigo thanks to Pedri’s 17th-minute goal.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen has allowed only one goal in La Liga this season, saving 19 of the 20 shots he has faced. In extraordinary form, the German remains an undisputed starter in Barcelona’s goal, with the hosts lining up in a traditional 4-3-3 system in front of him.
Barcelona have been incredible from a defensive standpoint, conceding just one league goal all season and going six straight La Liga matches without letting in one. However, that has not been the case in Europe, as they have conceded four in three games. Xavi needs to pick the right backline to address the issue.
Eric Garcia and Sergi Roberto could come back into the starting XI after being rested at the weekend, slotting into their respective spots. Gerard Pique could retain his centre-back position as the organiser alongside Garcia. While Marcos Alonso and Jordi Alba are competing at left-back, youngster Alejandro Balde has been the best left-back this season and has earned the stripes to play in big games.
Frenkie de Jong returned to the bench against Celta Vigo at the weekend after missing the previous two games through injury. The Dutchman will play the bench role again here, with Xavi more often than not picking a midfield three of Sergio Busquets, Pedri and Gavi in big games so far this season.
As for the offensive unit, Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati could both be in line for recalls to the starting XI, with Robert Lewandowski leading the line as usual. Raphinha and Ferran Torres will come off the bench to be the impact subs.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Garcia, Balde; Gavi, Busquets, Pedri; Dembele, Lewandowski, Fati
Inter Milan
Marcelo Brozovic continues to be the major absentee for Simone Inzaghi’s side, which will be a big blow for the visitors. Aside from the Croat, Dalbert, Alex Cordaz, Joaquin Correa, and Gabriel Brazao all remain on the sidelines for Inter Milan. Romelu Lukaku is expected to make his first appearance since August, though he is unlikely to start.
Inzaghi will set his side up in a compact 3-5-2 formation and is anticipated to make some alterations to his starting lineup from the weekend. Andre Onana should keep his place in the starting XI after putting in back-to-back stellar displays between the sticks for the Nerazzurri, and he brings a lot to the team with his passing ability with the ball at his feet.
Domani💪#UCL #ForzaInter #BarcelonaInter #BarçaInter pic.twitter.com/vZTqoBkvTa
— Inter (@Inter) October 11, 2022
Milian Skriniar showed his defensive qualities, resilience, and leadership alongside Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni last time out. And the troika will need to be on their toes once more to contain the hosts’ onslaught.
Denzel Dumfries will look to drive forward and put pressure on a comparatively fragile Barcelona backline, while Federico Dimarco has been one of Inter’s better performers at left wing-back in recent weeks.
Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were deployed in the middle of the park in the home fixture against Barcelona. But Inzaghi could prefer to use youngster Kristjan Asllani to bring more defensive stability, with Mkhitaryan probably dropping out.
Lautaro Martinez is due a goal sooner rather than later, having fired blanks for Inter in their last eight games and largely underperforming his xG. Edin Dzeko bagged a brace over the weekend against Sassuolo and will hope for more of the same here in a front duo alongside the Argentine attacker.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Onana; Skriniar, de Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Calhanoglu, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Dzeko
Key Stats
- Barcelona are on a run of four successive wins at home.
- Barcelona have won their last 6 home matches against Inter in all competitions, and have scored at least two goals in 5 of those encounters.
- Barcelona’s defeat to Inter on Matchday 3 was only their second defeat against them in 11 UEFA Champions League games (W6 D3 L2).
- Barcelona have only lost once in the last 17 games they have hosted an Italian side in the UEFA Champions League (W13 D3).
- Inter Milan’s last UEFA Champions League away win over a Spanish team came in October 2004, when they won 5-1 at Valencia. Since then, they have lost seven of their previous eight such games (D1).
Player to Watch
Robert Lewandowski
From the Barça dressing room they say that Robert Lewandowski works harder than everyone else. He spends hours watching future rivals, analyzes his own matches, goes to the sporting centre on his off days, and even takes notes on every referee.
— @relevo pic.twitter.com/HQEssNADYV
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) October 11, 2022
Robert Lewandowski is the top scorer at Barcelona by some distance. The Polish international continues to be the main goal threat for his team. However, his form has not been at its best in recent weeks and he will need to have a better night here than he did against Celta Vigo if the hosts are aiming to come out on top of this must-win tie with flying colours.
He has scored in just one Champions League game this season, with the Pole failing to find the back of the net against Inter and his former side Bayern Munich in Barcelona’s last two European clashes. So, the 34-year-old will be itching to get back to scoring ways against Inter on Wednesday.
Prediction
Barcelona 3-2 Inter Milan
The reverse fixture between Barcelona and Inter Milan yielded only one goal. However, with both sides coming off scrappy wins, the upcoming clash might see a lot more action. The hosts will be fighting for their lives in the group stage of this competition for the second season running, while Inter boss Simone Inzaghi is under fire at the moment for their poor domestic results.
So, this feels like a real pressure game for both clubs and could end up being a high-scoring affair. Barcelona will have to go all-out attack in front of their home crowd, and this will give Inter opportunities and space in the offensive areas. However, with Marcelo Brozovic a big miss for the visitors, they will lack the midfield balance in their side to be able to exploit the open spaces by cutting out Barcelona attackers’ supply.
The Hard Tackle predicts a nervy 3-2 victory for Barcelona at Camp Nou, with their attack carrying them to victory, while Simone Inzaghi’s men could be left to rue their missed chances.
