FC Barcelona-Inter Milan, the other semi-final of the Champions League between teams with completely opposed styles

FC Barcelona supporters keep a bitter memory of the last duel between their team and Inter Milan, in the semi-finals of the football champions League. It was in 2010. The Nerazzurri were then trained by José Mourinho and the Catalans by Pep Guardiola. After winning it in the first leg at home (3-1), the Lombards had defended as a whole during the return to Camp Nou to keep their advantage and compensate for the exclusion of their midfielder, Thiago Motta, shortly before the half hour of play. In the end, Barça had established himself with a short head (1-0), but the Inter had insured the qualification.

Fifteen years later, the two teams are again competing for a place in the final of the most prestigious European club competition. And if, this time, Barcelona is the scene of the opening of hostilities, Wednesday April 30 at the Lluis Companys Olympic stadium, in Montjuic, for the first act of this duel, in matters of philosophy of play of the two rivals, things have changed little.

Arrived on the Catalans bench in the summer of 2024, the German Hansi Flick revived the style that makes the identity of the Blaugrana: a possession game brought to the attack. Led by an offensive trio in great shape – the Brazilian Raphinha, the best competition in the competition this season, the local prodigy Lamine Yamal, 17, from the Masia, the club training center, and the Pole Robert Lewandowski -, Barça can boast of having the best attack of this edition of the Champions League, with 37 goals scored in 12 games.

Despite the package of Robert Lewandowski, injured, the latest performances of Barcelona showed that the danger could arise everywhere, of striker Ferran Torres, holder and scorer in the Spanish Cup final against Real Madrid (3-2), on Saturday April 26, to defender Jules Koundé, who scored the decisive goal in overtime.

Inter, an experienced group

However, if he wants to have the opportunity to fight to lift the “big ears cup” on May 31 in Munich (Germany), Barça must make the best defense in Europe fold. Because, since the start of this 2024-2025 campaign, Inter Milan has only conceded five goals, even completing eight of its 12 games with its inviolated cages. The tactics of coach Simone Inzaghi is based on the development of a rampart in front of the goal, with the tenure of five defenders, including three central.

On the offensive level, the Transalpine relies on the realism of his attackers, like the Argentinian Lautaro Martinez and the French Marcus Thuram. However, the latter, suffering from adductors for several weeks, is uncertain for Wednesday’s match.

The Nerazzurri also enjoy a solid experience, like their rearguard, where the Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer, 36, and the Italian defenders Francesco Acerbi and Dutch Stefan de Vrij, aged 37 and 33 respectively, hold the roles of Cadors. Among the four teams of this last square, the Milanese club has the workforce whose average age is the highest among the four semi-finalists: 29 years and 154 days, far from that of its Catalan opponent (24 years and 261 days).

In addition, if we consider the 11 players probably aligned for this meeting, eight played the final of the 2023 Champions League, lost to Manchester City (0-1). What make the difference in this kind of major events.

A black series at worst moments

However, as this semi-final approaches, the current dynamics play rather against the Lombards. In a few weeks, their dream of winning the hat (championship, Italian Cup, Champions League) collapsed. Released by the small door in the semi-finals of the Italian Cup against AC Milan (0-3 on the return, after 1-1 on the outward journey), the Nerazzurri chained two setbacks in Bologna (1-0) and AS Rome (0-1), yielding first place in the ranking to Naples. A black series that occurs at worst moments.

“This week should not cancel all the work done for four yearsinsisted Simone Inzaghi at the pre-match press conference. We have not been up to the last three games, but we discussed in the locker room and analyzed what we had to do better (…) You have to try to find energy. We will go to Barcelona with great respect for this team, but fearless. »»

Barça can always dream of a hat -trick that has escaped him since 2015. The King’s Cup already won, he is in good position in the Spanish Championship, a leader with four points ahead of Real Madrid five days before the end. Hansi Flick, nevertheless, calls for caution: “We must remain very concentrated. [La double confrontation contre l’Inter] will be difficult, and we have to prepare for it. »» Because the German has not forgotten the severe setback inflicted on its troops by Borussia Dortmund, in the quarter-finals, Tuesday April 15 (3-1). A first defeat since the beginning of 2025, which, fortunately, has not lent to consequences.