Champions League score prediction: Barca crushes Inter Milan's dream

Despite the unfortunate draw in the first leg, Barca are still rated higher than Inter Milan in the second leg of the semi-final.

Barca (right) is still rated higher than Inter in the second leg - Photo: REUTERS

Barca will face Inter Milan again at 2am on May 7 in the second leg of the 2024-2025 Champions League semi-final.

In the first leg, the two teams gave fans an exciting match with 6 goals divided equally between the two sides. The Italian representative surprised everyone by playing a mostly attacking style of football and scored 2 goals early on.

However, with terrible attacking power, Barca fought back strongly to keep a draw.

Despite playing at home at the San Siro, where they are unbeaten in their last 15 Champions League games (winning 12), Inter's recent form has not been particularly convincing. A narrow 1-0 win over Hellas Verona last weekend was just enough to end a run of five games without a win in all competitions.

Coach Simone Inzaghi and his team are also having a hard time in the Scudetto race with Napoli. On the contrary, Barca are flying high with impressive form. They have won 24 of their last 30 matches, still on track to win the treble.

Barca's attack is performing at a devastating rate, scoring 40 goals in the Champions League this season, approaching their own record of 45 goals in the 1999-2000 season. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha are having an explosive season in the European arena.

History is not on Barca's side, though. They have lost all four of their last Champions League semi-finals away from home and have won just one of their six visits to the San Siro against Inter. More broadly, Barca have won just five of their 24 Champions League trips to Italy.

However, with a superior squad, bookmakers still rate the La Liga representative as slightly better when giving Barca a handicap of 0.25 goals in the first half and the whole match.

Meanwhile, the over/under ratio for the whole match is 3.25 (first half is 1.25). This is a reasonable number for the two teams' attacks. However, both teams are expected to play more cautiously in the second leg.

Inter Milan face a difficult personnel problem. The ability of key striker Lautaro Martinez to play is seriously doubtful due to the slow recovery process from the hamstring injury he suffered in the first leg.

Barca is aiming for a successful season with the main goal being the Champions League title - Photo: REUTERS

This is a big loss, directly affecting the strength of the Nerazzurri's attack. In addition, defender Benjamin Pavard is also absent for the same reason. The rare good news is that conductor Hakan Calhanoglu will return after being suspended in Serie A last weekend.

Meanwhile, Barca also do not have their strongest squad. Right-back Jules Kounde and striker Robert Lewandowski certainly will not recover from injuries in time for the trip to Italy. However, coach Hansi Flick still has top attacking players such as Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Ferran Torres.

Football expert and former Italian international Antonio Cassano said: "Inter cannot be underestimated, this is a strong and united team. But the recent physical weakness and Lautaro's difficulty in playing will have a huge impact. Barca will not win easily, but they will win in the end."

Expected lineup:

Inter: Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Çalhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Taremi, Thuram.

Barca: Szczesny; Garcia, Araujo, Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Ferran Torres.

Prediction: Inter Milan 1-2 Barca (Barca win 5-4 on aggregate).

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THANH DINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/du-doan-ti-so-champions-league-barca-dap-tan-giac-mong-cua-inter-milan-20250505160359125.htm