Barcelona vs Inter Milan Prediction, Preview, Predicted Lineups and Team News | UEFA Champions League

Barcelona vs Inter Milan Preview

• Tournament: UEFA Champions League
• Date: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
• Kick-Off Time: 19:00 PM GMT
• Venue: Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona

Barcelona look to continue their charge towards the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League title as they host an unpredictable Inter Milan side for the first leg of the semifinal. The Barcelona vs Inter Milan clash will take place at the Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys on Wednesday, 30 April at 19:00 PM GMT.

The La Liga giants have enjoyed a pretty dominant campaign so far under Hansi Flick. They're in first place in La Liga with 76 points from 33 games and have won four of their last five matches. The Blaugrana have highly impressed in the Champions League this season, winning nine of their 12 games so far and scoring 36 goals! They have won five of their six home matches in Europe and look to take the fight to the Nerazzurri in the first leg.

Hansi Flick will urge his side to be at their prolific best to get a big win in this important clash. For that, they'll need to continuously push back the Italian side with their fast-paced attacking moves and be clinical in finishing off chances. Barcelona also needs to be defensively sturdy to frustrate the visitors and make up for a proper dominant performance.

Inter Milan are also pushing for a European double title as they lead the Serie A table with 71 points from 33 games. They have won nine of their 12 matches in the Champions League this season and only lost one game away from home in the competition so far. What is even more remarkable is that they've conceded just five goals in their 12 games!

Simone Inzaghi can be pleased with a draw from the first leg, but he'll need his side to produce their best defensive performance to frustrate Barcelona at their yard. They'll need to be near-perfect in every move, maintaining a very sturdy defensive shape to neutralize the hosts' attacking threat. Moreover, Inter Milan also has to be sharp and decisive with their counter-attacking chances and innovative with their set pieces to get a decent result.

Barcelona Team News

Hansi Flick will be without his prime striker, Robert Lewandowski, for this one, as he recovers from a muscle injury. Marc Casado (ligament) and Marc Bernal (knee) are out for the rest of the season. However, Alejandro Balde could return to the squad for this clash. He'll need to pass a late fitness test for that.

Inter Milan Team News

Inter Milan will be without midfielder Piotr Zielinski as he recovers from a calf muscle injury. Valentin Carboni is also out with a knee injury. However, Simone Inzaghi will hope for the return of Marcus Thuram and Denzel Dumfries in time for this game.

Barcelona vs Inter Milan Predicted Lineups

Barcelona Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczesny

Defenders: Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Gerard Martin

Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Dani Olmo

Forwards: Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Ferran Torres

Inter Milan Predicted Lineup (3-5-2):

Goalkeeper: Yan Sommer

Defenders: Benjamin Pavard, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni, Matteo Darmian, Federico Dimarco

Midfielders: Hakan Calhanoglu, Nicolo Barella, Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Forwards: Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram

Barcelona vs Inter Milan Head-to-Head Record

These two teams have met each other on 16 occasions in their history. Out of that, Barcelona have won eight matches and Inter Milan have only won three games. In their last five meetings, Barcelona have won two games and Inter have only won once.

Key Players to Watch in Barcelona vs Inter Milan

Raphinha (Barcelona)

Raphinha has been in sizzling hot form for Barcelona this season and has 12 goals in the Champions League so far, superbly outperforming his 5.49 xG (expected goals). He has an impressive 27% goal conversion rate, taking up his opportunities in front of the goal in splendid fashion.

Raphinha has proven himself as a clutch player in big games for Barcelona and aims to keep that going against Inter Milan. The Brazilian winger needs to be proactive and sharp with his movement in the final third, timing his runs into the empty areas perfectly. Flick will also need him to be smart with his decisive final passes and take up his opportunities clinically to hurt the visitors.

Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan)

Hakan Calhanoglu will play a key role in determining Inter Milan's stance in the midfield battle with Barcelona. He has outperformed his 2.13 xG with three goals in the Champions League so far this season, but been more impressive with his defensive work by averaging 4.7 possession recoveries per game!

He'll need to be alert and energetic in the middle, covering a lot of ground to close down spaces and press the Barcelona players smartly to regain possession in key areas. He'll also need to be smart with his forward passes to help his side on the counter-attacks and nail his set-piece delivery to outwit the Barcelona players.

Barcelona vs Inter Milan Prediction

A battle between two of the Champions League's most consistent teams this season, this should be a really enticing battle. It should be a pretty tactical clash because of the two managers' intelligence and will only be decided by special moments from some of the big players involved.

Barcelona have been extremely dominant in home games in Europe this season, but Inter have impressed in away games. However, the Spanish side's impressive momentum and ability to find big moments at home should give them the edge here. It'll be a pretty tight, thrilling battle, but the hosts should prevail with a narrow win.

Prediction: Barcelona 2-1 Inter Milan

Where to watch Barcelona vs Inter Milan Live?