Three talking points ahead of Inter Milan vs Barcelona | UEFA Champions League | OneFootball

The stakes have not been higher for Barcelona in a long time now as they are heading into Tuesday night’s clash in Milan.

For the first time in years, the Catalans are 90 minutes away from sealing a place in the final of the UEFA Champions League and redemption seems to be just around the corner.

But again, so are Inter Milan and the Italians will have the home advantage in the all-important second leg.

What’s more, is that they will have both Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard fit while Barcelona will once again be without Alejandro Balde.

Several factors will influence the result tomorrow night, but Barcelona have control over the most important one – the football played on the field.

There is no denying that the Catalans are the better team heading into the game, and they will hope it is enough to get over the line and seal a place in the elusive UCL finale.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Inter Milan vs Barcelona.

A double defensive blow

Barcelona’s situation on the full-back front is far from ideal heading into the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan tomorrow night.

Alejandro Balde missed the first leg through an injury and was always expected to make it back in time to face the Italian giants for the reverse fixture.

His recovery, however, has not quite gone to plan and the youngster is still a few days away from returning to complete fitness. Tomorrow night, Barcelona will thus be without their star left-back once more.

To make matters worse, Jules Kounde left the field injured in the first leg with a niggle and is also unavailable for the reverse leg, leaving Barcelona without both of their top full-backs ahead of the game.

It is a massive blow to Barcelona’s attacking chances against Inter, especially with Balde not recovering, and covering the gaping holes will be a massive task for Hansi Flick.

Eric Garcia and Gerard Martin may start at right and left-back respectively, but it is safe to say that the situation is far from ideal ahead of the most important game of the season.

A question of taking chances

Back and ready to go. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images)

The one metric that matches Barcelona and the Nerrazzuri after the first 90 minutes at Montjuic is the scoreline, and it is football, that is all that matters.

The metric, however, does not do justice to the game that unfolded adequately for there was a stark difference between Barcelona and Inter Milan in terms of the quality and quantity of chances created.

Flick’s men were superior with their chance creation, had 19 shots on the night, and created significantly higher xG on the night. Their efficiency, particularly in the first half, was dreadful.

Inter, meanwhile, buried every chance that came their way and scored low-probability goals against all odds. Ultimately, they earned the ticket back home with a favourable draw to take back with them.

At the semifinal level of the UEFA Champions League, chances do not come often. Barcelona, with all their attacking might, will undoubtedly open up the hosts’ backline on occasions tomorrow, but all that will matter will be their clinical finishing.

Robert Lewandowski’s return to fitness, on that front, comes as a welcome development. For the likes of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Ferran Torres, and even Dani Olmo, however, taking their chances will hold the key to the victory.

Time to extinguish ghosts of the past

It was exactly six years ago, to the day, that Barcelona last took to the field in the semifinal of the UEFA Champions League.

At the time, they walked in with their heads held high defending a 3-0 lead, and took to the field at Anfield for a night that would go down in history as one of their greatest embarrassments.

There are several parallels between that season and the current one for Barcelona, right from the team once again being at the cusp of a treble to them staring a place in the final in the eye.

This time, however, the Catalans must look to avenge the defeat they suffered years ago in this stage of the competition, for a place in the final of the UCL is only a whisker away.

The team now is starkly different to the one that started at Anfield, the players are younger, more fresh, and even in a far superior state of mind. Barcelona are no longer the fragile wreck that they were at the time, and one will hope that holds the key.

A win tomorrow will be a statement that Barcelona have extinguished the ghosts of the past. They will be wearing a very similar jersey colour to the one they lost to Liverpool, but the goal will be to celebrate after the 90 minutes at San Siro and rewrite history.