Fifteen years after their Champions League semifinal collision, Barcelona and Inter Milan collide again on Wednesday at Montjuic in a high-stakes rematch drenched in legacy and ambition.
In 2010, it was Jose Mourinho’s Inter who survived the storm, edging Pep Guardiola’s juggernaut 3-2 on aggregate before lifting the trophy in Madrid.
Fast forward to 2025, the stakes remain sky-high, but the scripts have flipped.
Barcelona, under German tactician Hansi Flick, are roaring back to continental relevance, chasing their first Champions League final since 2015.
Inter, runners-up to Manchester City just last year, are desperate to finish the job they couldn’t a season ago.
Catalan resurgence
Flick’s fearless, free-scoring Barca have been electric in Europe – 37 goals in 12 games, averaging 3.1 per match.
Only Flick’s 2020 Bayern side ever did better.
They eased past Benfica in the last 16, crushed Dortmund 4-0 at home in the quarters, and despite losing the second leg 3-1, sailed into their first semi since 2019.
At home, they’re flawless: five wins, one draw, 21 goals.
Carrying plenty of momentum, fresh from a 3-2 Copa del Rey final win over Real Madrid – sealed in extra-time by Jules Kounde – they now lead La Liga by four points and have won 23 of their last 28 matches.
Inter’s iron will
Simone Inzaghi’s Inter are a different beast: tactically disciplined, defensively gritty and brutally efficient.
They have lost just two of their last 20 UCL matches, conceded only five goals in this campaign, and kept a tournament-high eight clean sheets.
They matched Barca with 19 points in the new league phase, then dispatched Feyenoord and stunned Bayern Munich to return to the final four.
Davide Frattesi’s late winner in Bavaria tipped the balance before a gritty 2-2 draw at San Siro sealed the deal.
Yet fatigue is creeping in.
After a 13-match unbeaten run, Inter crashed out of the Coppa Italia with a 3-0 defeat to AC Milan, then suffered back-to-back Serie A losses to Bologna and Roma, losing top spot to Napoli.
Battle ahead
Inzaghi marks his 50th UEFA competition appearance, boasting 26 wins, more than any Italian before him at this stage.
Barcelona have won six of their 12 European meetings with Inter – but none of that matters now.
What counts is who survives this two-legged chess match.
With attacking fireworks on one end and defensive stonewalls on the other, Wednesday’s first leg at Montjuic is set to crackle.
Likely lineups and fitness issues
Barcelona will once again be without star striker Robert Lewandowski, who remains sidelined by a hamstring injury and could miss next week’s return leg as well.
The Catalan side hopes to welcome back first-choice left-back Alejandro Balde, though Gerard Martin is on standby to continue in defense alongside Inigo Martinez, Jules Kounde, and teenage sensation Pau Cubarsi.
Midfield options remain slightly thin, with Marc Bernal and Marc Casado both ruled out due to knee problems.
Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has rejoined the squad for the first time since September but is expected to ease back into action, with veteran Wojciech Szczesny likely to retain the starting spot between the posts.
In attack, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha are set to support Ferran Torres.
The duo has combined for five Champions League goals and 16 chances created – the most by any pair in this year’s competition – and, along with Lewandowski, have been responsible for 27 of Barcelona’s 37 European goals this season.
Inter Milan, meanwhile, are sweating over the fitness of Marcus Thuram, who is battling a thigh injury but could make a return at Montjuic after missing the last three games.
His absence has left Lautaro Martinez – who has scored in each of his last five Champions League outings – shouldering the attacking burden.
The alternatives, Joaquin Correa, Marko Arnautovic and Medhi Taremi, have yet to step up convincingly in Thuram’s absence.
There’s also concern over Benjamin Pavard, who sprained an ankle in the weekend loss to Roma, while Denzel Dumfries and Piotr Zielinski both returned to action in that game following brief layoffs.
Key figures Alessandro Bastoni and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are expected to slot back into the starting XI after serving domestic bans.
Content Source: www.dailysabah.com