Barcelona take on the visitors Inter in the first leg of UEFA Champions League semifinals. The match will be played on Wednesday, April 30th at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (Barcelona).
Barcelona have clearly been more successful under Flick than they were under Xavi. But that success comes at a cost: they’re forced to operate under constant pressure, with virtually no margin for error. Just this Saturday, they played El Clásico in the cup final. In Seville, they managed to win — but only after extra time, marking yet another hard-fought triumph. In La Liga, they still need to keep Real Madrid at a manageable distance in the title race. Several times in April they narrowly avoided dropping points, grinding out wins in the dying minutes. Their packed domestic schedule partly explains their 1-3 defeat in Dortmund — especially after having crushed Borussia 4-0 at home in the previous leg. Aside from that loss, their only other setbacks came against Atalanta — a draw and a narrow win — while winning all other matches in Europe.
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Inter are obliged to push for victory in every competition. The Nerazzurri actually resemble their upcoming opponent in many ways — including having played a derby last week in the cup, only in their case it was the second leg of a semi-final. After a 1-1 draw with Milan in the first leg, they were forced to chase a win — but instead suffered a heavy 0-3 defeat. That was followed by a costly loss to Bologna in Serie A, which erased their lead over Napoli in the race to retain the Scudetto. Their most recent setback came against Roma, meaning they’re now chasing from behind with little time left in the season. In contrast, Inter have impressed in the Champions League this season. They advanced from the group stage and then beat Feyenoord twice in the round of 16. They even defeated Bayern in Munich, although they had to cling to a 2-2 draw in the return leg. That physically and mentally demanding clash appeared to carry over into the Bologna game, where they dropped critical points.
The Nerazzurri knocked out the Culers in the 2010 semi-finals and picked up four points from two group-stage matches in 2022. However, those are their only victories — Barcelona have won six of the twelve meetings between the sides. The "More Than a Club" side are clearly stronger and are hosting an opponent in crisis. Back the home team to win.
Prediction for the match: Barcelona to win.
