Who: Inter Milan vs Barcelona
What: UEFA Champions League semifinal, second leg
The place: San Siro stadium, Milan, Italy
When: Tuesday at 9pm (19:00 GMT)
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5-time UEFA Champions League winners Barcelona journey to northern Italy to play three-time title holders Inter Milan in a tantalising second and deciding leg of their semifinal on Tuesday evening.
The Catalan Giants stay on observe for a uncommon treble – LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Champions League titles – however walked away from the opening leg of their Champions League semifinal on the Barcelona Olympic Stadium with only a draw in opposition to Inter, leaving them with all of it to do on the street in Milan.
Inter, who’re bidding to make a second Champions League ultimate in three seasons, will like their probabilities of getting previous the flamboyant LaLiga leaders on dwelling soil. However the Nerazzurri had been removed from their finest on Saturday, forging a slender 1-0 dwelling win in opposition to Fifteenth-placed Verona in a home Serie A league fixture on the San Siro.
Right here is all to know earlier than the semifinal decider between two of Europe’s soccer superclubs:
What occurred within the semifinal’s first leg?
Barcelona twice battled again to share a compelling 3-3 draw at dwelling in opposition to Inter Milan on April 30.
The Italian aspect raced to a two-goal lead with excellent strikes from Marcus Thuram and Denzel Dumfries earlier than the unstoppable Lamine Yamal pulled Barca again into it with a chic solo effort.
Ferran Torres levelled for the five-time champions, and though Inter nosed forward via Dumfries once more, a Yann Sommer personal purpose left the tie on a knife-edge heading into the second leg.
Inter Milan’s star French ahead #9 Marcus Thuram shall be counted upon to attain extra objectives in opposition to Barcelona within the return leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal on Might 6, 2025 (Josep Lago/AFP)
Why is everybody speaking about Yamal?
Taking part in his one hundredth recreation at simply 17 years and 291 days outdated, Yamal turned the youngest participant to attain in a UEFA Champions League semifinal in opposition to Inter on Wednesday, eclipsing the file set by Kylian Mbappe, who was 18 when he achieved the feat in 2017.
Inter supervisor Simone Inzaghi stated skills just like the Barcelona teenager come round solely as soon as in a half-century.
“He’s the type of expertise who’s born each 50 years, I had by no means seen him reside, and he actually impressed me immediately,” the Inter coach stated after Yamal helped Barcelona rally within the action-packed first leg.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick described his attacking winger as “a genius” after the match.
Earlier than the primary leg, Yamal himself was pressured to dismiss comparisons to the good Lionel Messi, who performed the identical place at Barcelona.
“I don’t examine myself to him as a result of I don’t examine myself to anybody – and far much less with Messi,” Yamal instructed reporters.
“So I don’t suppose the comparability is smart – with Messi even much less. I’m going to get pleasure from myself, and be myself.”
Yamal stated he thought the Argentinian ahead was the best participant of all time.
“I love him clearly as the most effective participant in historical past, however I don’t examine myself to him,” he reiterated.
LAMINE YAMAL OF FC BARCELONA CELEBRATES AFTER WINNING THE COPA DEL REY AGAINST REAL MADRID AT STADIUM OF THE CARTUJA ON APIL 26, 2025, IN SEVILLE, SPAIN (Fran Santiago/Getty Photos)
Group information: Barcelona
Barcelona beginning defender Jules Kounde is about to overlook the Champions League semifinal second leg conflict with Inter after he was recognized with a hamstring harm on Thursday.
Unexpectedly, Flick might be able to name on star striker Robert Lewandowski, who’s forward of schedule on what was anticipated to be a three-week restoration interval from a leg harm. Lewandowski was included within the squad on Monday after being sidelined for about two weeks.
Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is tipped to begin in opposition to Inter regardless of first-choice keeper Marc-Andre ter Steg’s return to the primary XI in a LaLiga fixture on the weekend after an extended harm layoff.
Group information: Inter Milan
Inter head into their second leg showdown on the San Siro with the provision of prime scorer Lautaro Martinez extremely questionable after the Argentina star suffered a leg harm in opposition to Barcelona final Wednesday. Inzaghi may have Mehdi Taremi or Marko Arnautovic on standby to switch Martinez within the beginning lineup.
However confidence is rising within the Inter camp that Martinez will play, in response to Italian media studies on Monday. Lautaro himself posted a cryptic message on Instagram: a photograph of him doing workout routines within the gymnasium, captioned with emojis of an hourglass and a battery.
In a separate constructive improvement for Inter, key defender Benjamin Pavard, who missed the primary leg of the semifinal in opposition to Barca, is about to return to the beginning XI, in response to reporting from the Italian media outlet Gazzetta.it.
Star midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is obtainable for choice after sitting out Inter’s 1-0 victory over Verona with a suspension.
Will he or received’t he play? Inter Milan main purpose scorer and captain Lautaro Martinez, left, is in a race in opposition to time to be match for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal in opposition to Barcelona on Tuesday (File: David Ramos/Getty Photos)
Potential beginning lineups:
Barcelona Potential XI: Szczesny; Eric, Araujo, Cubersi, Inigo; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Ferran
Inter Milan Potential XI: Sommer; Acerbi, Pavard, sticks; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, MkhiTaryan, Dimarco; Arnautovic, Thuram
Head-to-head:
The groups have performed on 13 prior events:
Barcelona wins: 6
Inter Milan wins: 2
Attracts: 5
What the managers needed to say:
Hansi Flick, Barcelona supervisor: “(Within the second leg) Inter can’t simply defend. They must try to rating too. It’s the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League and the 4 finest groups in Europe are there. We play with fashion and confidence, and we all know what we are able to do. We have now 90 minutes subsequent week, and hopefully that’s sufficient to get to the ultimate. That’s our purpose, and we’ll battle for it.”
Simone Inzaghi, Inter Milan supervisor: “We noticed a incredible match (within the first leg) and we knew that semifinals are troublesome. We may even have received. I actually favored the affect that our subs had. Our followers know that we’ve been giving our utmost in troublesome occasions and we all know that Tuesday shall be a ‘ultimate’.”
Inter Milan supervisor Simone Inzaghi shouts from the contact line in the course of the UEFA Champions League semifinal first leg match between Barcelona and Inter on the Olympic Stadium on April 30, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain (Carl Recine/Getty Photos)
When did Barcelona and Inter Milan final win the UEFA Champions League?
Barcelona most not too long ago received in 2015 whereas Inter Milan final tasted victory in 2010.
When and the place is the 2025 UEFA Champions League ultimate?
The winner of this semifinal heads to Germany on Might 31 for the Champions League ultimate.
European soccer’s largest annual showpiece shall be performed on the 75,000-capacity Allianz Enviornment in Munich.
One of many world’s nice soccer venues – Allianz Enviornment in Munich, Germany – will host the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League ultimate (File: Matthias Schrader/AP)
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