The bet is easy: FC Barcelona comes from winning the Copa del Rey to Real Madrid in a great game that was one more exhibition of its tremendous offensive power, has 4 points of advantage in LaLiga with only 5 games for playing and, as the Super Cup had already won in another classic, goes for the title poker in Champions League. Everything goes to the winning horse.
But it is football and that is perhaps the only illusion that Inter Milan has to give the Batacazo this Wednesday (2:00 pm Colombian hour) in the first leg of the semifinal of the Champions League, in the Camp Nou.
A new edition of David vs Goliath?
And if it takes into account that Barça has won 23 of its last 28 games in all competitions, which has scored 155 goals in 53 games this season and has made 5 or more goals in 11 games and 4 in another 11, the fight seems very unequal.
Except for a detail: in the maximum European competition, Barça has lost three of its last four semifinals, including the most recent, against Liverpool in 2018/19 (3-0, 0-4).
In fact, that defeat in the second leg was his fourth consecutive defeat as a visitor in the semifinals; It has only achieved two victories as a visitor in total at this stage of the competition.
The moment is ideal for Barcelona, that is true, but Inter appeals that he has only won 11 of his last 23 European games at home, losing six, although he has scored 21 goals in his six games this season.
Inter plays everything to 'catenaccio'
It will not look much, although with Lautaro Martínez there is always a bullet in the drum. But it is worth saying that the defensive strength has allowed Inter to reach the second semifinal of the Champions League in three years, and the fourth in total. It is among the four best of the European Cup for the tenth time in total.
The Nerazzurri have won their last two semifinals, a 3-0 overall defeat against their neighbors of AC Milan in 2022/23 (2-0 at home, 1-0 on the visit), with which their general record at this stage is 6 wins and 3 losses.
In addition, Simone Inzaghi's team was runner-up, behind Manchester City, in the 2023 final, losing 1-0 in Istanbul, the most successful campaign of Inter in the Champions League since he raised the trophy in 2010.
Inter was fourth in the league phase this season at the Champions (6v 1e 1e) before beating Feyenoord (2-0 outside, 2-1 at home) and Bayern (2-1 out, 2-2 at home) in the round of 16, respectively. Something has, no doubt. Now Flick's attacking monster is the perhaps more ambitious challenge that the Italian club will have throughout the championship.
