Barcelona will play an early Champions League final on Tuesday, May 6, at San Siro. The 3-3 draw at Montjuic in the first leg leaves everything open for this dog-eat-dog match, where only a win will do if they want a place in the final in Munich. It’s all or nothing for Hansi Flick’s men.
The German coach, aware of what is at stake, took a huge risk in Saturday’s La Liga match against Real Valladolid. The Barça coach played with fire with an unrecognizable starting eleven that included players who had not played a single minute this season and even a youth player, but he did not get burned. They suffered a lot to get the win, but they won and travel to Milan with the peace of mind of still having a four-point lead over Real Madrid before El Clásico.
Such caution in the league match is more than justified, as Hansi Flick did not want any surprises or last-minute injuries for what is perhaps the most important match of the season. Although the Azulgranas wanted to get the tie off to a good start at Montjuic, the game soon took a turn for the worse and they had to fight against the tide against Inter Milan to finally end with a 3-3 draw that leaves everything open.
It has been six years since Barça reached the semifinals, and they do not want to miss the opportunity to sneak into the final against an Inter side that is coming off a break in its losing streak in La Liga. Simone Inzaghi’s side is coming off a 1-0 win over Hellas Verona in Serie A, where it is in a tight battle for the title with Antonio Conte’s Napoli.
Hansi Flick is not holding anything back
Szczesny, who rested in Valladolid, will start in goal against Inter. Flick himself announced this in Valladolid. Koundé is out with an injury and Balde will also miss the game, so Eric García, Pau Cubarsí, Íñigo Martínez, and Gerard Martín will start in defense. Pedri and De Jong are sure to start in midfield. Dani Olmo will play in front of them. The attacking trio, although Lewandowski will travel to Milan, will initially be made up of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Ferran Torres.
In addition to Koundé and Balde, Casadó, who is already training at a good pace, and Bernal remain out with injuries.
Possible Barça XI
Goalkeeper: Szczesny
Defenders: Eric García, Pau Cubarsí, Íñigo Martínez, and Gerard Martín
Midfielders: Pedri, De Jong, and Dani Olmo
Forwards: Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Ferran Torres
Inter without Lautaro
The bad news for the Italian side is that they will almost certainly be without their top scorer Lautaro Martínez after he withdrew from the first leg.
Possible Inter XI
Goalkeeper: Sommer
Defenders: Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni
Midfielders: Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Barella, Dumfries, and Dimarco
Forwards: Taremi and Thuram