A runner-up spot in Champions League Group C is up for grabs as Barcelona and Inter Milan face each other in Wednesday’s high-stakes fixture at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Hakan Calhanoglu’s thunderbolt from the edge of the box late in the first half fired the Nerazzurri to an all-important 1-0 win at Giuseppe Meazza last week.
Inter’s hard-earned home victory, highlighted by several controversial decisions from the VAR room, propelled them to second in the so-called ‘group of death,’ three points clear of third-placed Barcelona.
Justified in feeling hard done by, Xavi Hernandez’s men will be out to gain their revenge and solidify their bid to avoid back-to-back group stage eliminations for the first time in the 21st century.
Barca’s makeshift defence stood firm in a narrow 1-0 home triumph over fellow La Liga rivals Celta Vigo at the weekend to retain the top spot, heading into a potentially season-defining week.
Only a few days after Inter’s visit to the Spotify Camp Nou, the Blaugrana will make a mouth-watering journey to the Santiago Bernabeu to take on arch-rivals Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the 2022/23 season.
On the other hand, Simone Inzaghi’s team pulled off a morale-boosting 2-1 victory at Sassuolo in the run-up to this encounter, making it two successive wins across all competitions.
However, you’d have to go back to 2004 for Inter’s last Champions League win on Spanish soil, meaning their fledgling winning streak will be under genuine threat here.
Match Preview
Barcelona
Barcelona’s recent Champions League home record against Italian visitors could be a source of great optimism for the Catalan faithful, as the Blaugrana only lost once in their last 17 such match-ups (W13, D3).
On top of that, Xavi’s men have suffered just three defeats across their last 44 Champions League home outings (W36, D5), all of which came under the stewardship of the Spaniard’s predecessor Ronald Koeman.
After drawing a blank in back-to-back games, Robert Lewandowski will be under scrutiny. The Pole has played his part in 27 goals across his last 15 Champions League home appearances, netting 22 and assisting five.
Inter Milan
Since a 5-1 trouncing of Valencia in 2004, Inter have lost on seven of their subsequent eight Champions League travels to Spain, drawing the remaining one.
But after recording their first Champions League success against La Liga clubs since 2010 in the reverse leg, last season’s Serie A runners-up will be confident about taking down Barcelona again.
All eyes will be on Barca-linked forward, Lautaro Martinez, who has been underperforming in Europe’s elite competition. The Argentine has scored just twice in his last 18 Champions League appearances.
Barcelona vs Inter Milan Potential Line-ups
Barcelona (4-3-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Gerard Pique, Eric Garcia, Marcos Alonso; Gavi, Sergio Busquets, Pedri; Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Ansu Fati.
Inter Milan (3-5-2): Andre Onana; Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko.
How to Watch?
Barcelona vs Inter, alongside all other matches in Europe’s most prestigious club competition this season, is available to watch online via Champions League live streams.
And if you are interested in attending a future Champions League game, see our Champions League tickets page for more information.
Barcelona vs Inter Milan Prediction
Despite holding firm in the reverse fixture, we expect Inter to lose in Spain, with Barcelona likely to use every inch of the Spotify Camp Nou pitch to stretch their visitors’ backline and crack them open.
Barcelona 2-0 Inter Mlan
