After lifting the Copa del Rey last Saturday, Barcelona continue their pursuit of the Treble by hosting Inter Milan in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. At the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, the hosts take the field with the clear goal of winning by as wide a margin as possible, giving themselves a strong advantage ahead of the return leg where two out of three outcomes would be in their favor. The Blaugrana, who lead La Liga with a four-point advantage over Real Madrid, arrive at this crucial match after eliminating Benfica in the round of 16 and Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals. So far, both in the group stage and the knockout phase, they have shown impressive attacking potential, being the highest-scoring team in the competition. However, they will be without Robert Lewandowski, their top scorer this season, who is sidelined with an injury. Inter Milan, on the other hand, would probably have preferred to play this match a few weeks ago before entering a negative spell that saw them knocked out of the Coppa Italia and suffer two consecutive defeats in Serie A, seriously jeopardizing their title hopes. Simone Inzaghi's team have so far faced and eliminated Feyenoord and Bayern Munich in the round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively, knocking out one of the tournament favorites. As the best attack faces the best defense of this year’s Champions League, there is a lot of curiosity about the final outcome of this clash that will certainly shape the destiny of one of these two sides.

Barcelona's Recent Form and Key Stats

Last Saturday, Barcelona lifted the Copa del Rey after defeating Real Madrid 3-2 in extra time. In their last 5 matches across all competitions, the Blaugrana have recorded 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 defeat, with an average of 1.86 goals scored and 1.6 conceded per game. More generally, they have lost only once in their last 28 matches across all competitions.

Hansi Flick’s side have collected 9 wins, 1 draw, and 2 defeats in this Champions League campaign, scoring 37 goals and conceding 17 (averages of 3.1 scored and 1.41 conceded per match). At home, they remain unbeaten with 5 wins and 1 draw, scoring 21 goals and conceding just 4. Their top scorer is Raphinha with 12 goals, just one behind the overall top scorer Guirassy.

Inter Milan's Recent Form and Key Stats

Inter Milan are currently experiencing a difficult spell, coming off 3 consecutive defeats against Bologna, AC Milan (in the Coppa Italia), and Roma. Particularly worrying is their attacking crisis: the Nerazzurri have failed to score in their last three matches, despite being the highest-scoring team in Serie A. One of the reasons for their struggles has been the absence of Marcus Thuram, who may fully return just in time for the match against Barcelona.

In Europe, Simone Inzaghi's men have posted 9 wins, 2 draws, and just 1 defeat, scoring 19 goals and conceding only 5. Away from home, they have won 4 times, drawn once, and lost once, scoring just 6 goals but conceding even fewer: 2. Among the key players driving them to the semi-final is Lautaro Martinez with 8 goals.

Barcelona vs Inter Milan Prediction and Tactical Overview

Barcelona have a strong home record against Inter Milan, having won 5 of the last 6 meetings, with the Nerazzurri only managing a 3-3 draw back in October 2022. Furthermore, the Blaugrana are unbeaten in their last 15 home games and come into this match full of confidence after their Copa del Rey triumph.

Inter Milan, meanwhile, are enduring one of their toughest periods of the season, with their dream of a Treble ending after elimination from the Coppa Italia at the hands of AC Milan. In this Champions League edition, they have shown difficulties in scoring away from home but have also proved very solid defensively.

The feeling is that Barcelona will start the game aggressively, aiming to take the lead as early as possible and trying to win by the widest margin they can to secure a more comfortable return leg. Despite Inter Milan's solid defense in Europe, it is likely that Hansi Flick's side will still manage to claim victory.

For these reasons, the BetMines algorithm prediction for Barcelona vs Inter Milan heavily favors the home side to win.

• The BetMines Algorithm prediction for Barcelona vs Inter Milan predicts the sign 1 at 56%
• The BetMines Algorithm prediction for Barcelona vs Inter Milan predicts the sign X at 21%
• The BetMines Algorithm prediction for Barcelona vs Inter Milan predicts the sign 2 at 22%

Barcelona vs Inter Milan Predicted Lineups

Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Martin; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Torres. Coach: Flick

Inter Milan (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Lautaro, Thuram. Coach: Inzaghi