Barcelona vs Internazionale Preview

Barcelona will look to continue their quest for a historic quadruple this season when they host Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Barca come into this tie on the back of a huge win over fierce rivals Real Madrid. The win was in the Copa del Rey final, meaning that the hosts have won two trophies this season, both against Real Madrid.

After playing an extra 30 minutes, they’ll appreciate the extra day’s rest they’ve had over their Italian counterparts as they prepare for a 17th European meeting, aiming to build on their solid H2H record (W8, D5, L3). This is the first clash between both sides in the knockout stage since Jose Mourinho inspired Inter to an aggregate victory in the 2009/10 semi-finals.

The Blaugrana still triumphed 1-0 at home in that tie. So, hopes will be high of a repeat, given they’re unbeaten at home in the Champions League this term (W5, D1).

While they scored 3+ goals in five of those encounters, the only side to stop them from winning and scoring more than twice was an Italian side (Atalanta).

While Barca come into this tie in good form and with a quadruple still in sight, Inter come into this tie in poor form and with their chances of winning trophies now in jeopardy, having lost 3-0 to rivals AC Milan in the Coppa Italia last week. They also lost 1-0 to Roma in Serie A on Sunday, a result which leaves them three points off the title pace.

Even more depressing is that Simone Inzaghi’s side has now gone four competitive games without a win (D1, L3) and three without scoring (L3), which is hardly ideal form ahead of this trip. But though their domestic form has dipped, the Nerazzurri have excelled in Europe and are unbeaten in six Champions League games (W5, D1), having already beaten Feyenoord and Bayern Munich in the knockouts.

Winning their last three Champions League away fixtures stands them in good stead as they head to Spain, although it’s now more than 20 years since they won in this country (D3, L7).