On Wednesday night, football fans can look forward to an exhilarating Champions League semi-final as Internazionale makes their way to Catalonia for the first leg against Barcelona.
Hansi Flick’s squad is aiming to turn the tables on Barcelona, who defeated Jose Mourinho’s Inter back in 2010—the only other occasion these two titanic clubs clashed in the knockout stages of the UEFA competition.
At that time, Barcelona were the reigning UCL champions, eyeing a final at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu should they progress. Ultimately, a 3-1 defeat at Giuseppe Meazza and a narrow 1-0 victory at Camp Nou meant the Catalans fell short, losing 3-2 on aggregate.
This led to Mourinho’s infamous celebration as he jubilantly ran onto the pitch to embrace the Inter fans nestled high in the stands.
Despite the lingering bitterness from that defeat, Barcelona can find solace in their remarkable record at home against Inter in the Champions League, remaining unbeaten in six encounters (5 wins, 1 draw).
This tally is matched only against AC Milan for the most victories at home against a single opponent in the competition, and Chelsea remains the only team they’ve hosted more frequently without suffering a loss (7 occasions).
Barcelona maintains home unbeaten streak against Inter in Champions League
If the hosts manage to find their rhythm on Wednesday, they could extend this impressive record, potentially making the tie all but certain before the second leg, especially as Inter has been struggling of late.
Though they enjoyed a stellar season overall, hinting at a potential treble, they have faltered recently, drawing against Parma and suffering defeats to both Bologna and Roma in their last three Serie A fixtures, handing the title race advantage to Napoli.
A disappointing 3-0 capitulation against AC Milan in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final last week (4-1 on aggregate) further confirmed that the Rossoneri, rather than the Nerazzurri, will contest the final against Bologna.
This is certainly not the moment for Simone Inzaghi’s men to deliver their subpar performances, especially as Barcelona have remained unbeaten at home this season in the Champions League (5 wins, 1 draw), scoring a remarkable 21 goals during this campaign.
The only time they have netted more at home in a single UCL season was during the 1999/2000 edition, where they managed 29 goals across eight matches.
The two sides have met 16 times in European competitions, with Barcelona claiming victory in half of these encounters (8 wins, 5 draws, 3 losses). However, they have yet to win in their last two meetings (group stages of the 2022/23 competition saw a 0-1 loss away and a 3-3 draw at home).
Barcelona’s Attacking Power vs. Inter’s Defensive Resolve
The matches between these teams have consistently been engaging, setting the stage for what feels like a classic encounter of unstoppable force versus immovable object.
With Barcelona scoring 89 league goals this season and 37 in the Champions League thus far, Inter will certainly face a challenging task ahead. Nevertheless, they’ve maintained a strong defensive record, conceding only 33 goals, giving them the potential to execute a defensive masterclass.
To illustrate, Barcelona under Hansi Flick averages an impressive 3.1 goals per game in the UCL, which ranks second among manager-club pairings with 10+ matches, just behind Flick’s Bayern Munich (3.2).
On the flip side, Inter has the opportunity to equal the record for the most clean sheets (8) by an Italian side in a Champions League season, a record currently shared by AC Milan in 2004/05 and Juventus in 2016/17 (both with 9).
Despite a focus on defence, Inter can rely on Nicolo Barella to provide the attacking spark with a competition-leading average of 7.1 progressive passes per 90 minutes (minimum 500 minutes played) and the highest progressive pass percentage amongst central midfielders (12% – also minimum 500 minutes).
Martinez on the verge of making history
Lautaro Martinez has been in exceptional form, scoring in his last five Champions League matches. Should he score against Barcelona, he will become only the second South American player to net in six consecutive UCL games, following Edinson Cavani, who did so between November 2016 and October 2017.
On the other side, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha have formed a formidable partnership, contributing more goals than any other duo in the competition this season (five – Yamal has provided two assists, while Raphinha has three), and they have created the highest number of chances together of any teammate pair (16 – eight each).
As he prepares for his 25th Champions League appearance, he has already had a hand in 26 goals (15 scored, 11 assisted). Only two players have boasted more goal contributions in their first 25 Champions League matches: Erling Haaland (36) and Luis Suarez (28).
Barcelona, despite facing some recent challenges, have only suffered one defeat this calendar year, which came during the second leg of their quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund. Under Hansi Flick, they seem capable of stepping up when required, a troubling prospect for Inter to monitor closely.
Barca may need to adjust defensive strategy
Nonetheless, Inter possess strikers such as Martinez and Marko Arnautovic who are quick to exploit any gaps in Barcelona’s high defensive line, able to hold up play and facilitate runs by Federico Dimarco and Matteo Darmian in the channels.
This tendency for Jules Koundé and Gerard Martin to advance could provide an avenue for Inter’s success in both matches. Flick may need to rethink his preference for a high line this time around.
If Inter opts for a 3-5-2 formation, similar to their recent match against Roma, it could potentially limit the creativity of Barcelona’s midfielders, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, stifling their ability to open the play.
This match promises to be a tactical battle, perhaps not yielding a ‘checkmate’ for either side until the final moments of the second leg.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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