Barcelona v Inter Match Result
Some will regard Barcelona as a banker bet and the Champions League betting sites make them a 58% chance of recording a victory. The Catalan side were highly impressive in the previous round when demolishing Borussia Dortmund 4-0, with a brace from Robert Lewandowski being supplemented with strikes from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal.
Barca recorded ten shots on that occasion and they more recently scored another four goals when claiming a dramatic victory against Celta Vigo. They had to come back from 3-1 down in that game and perhaps Inter might draw some confidence from a somewhat leaky defence. After all, Hansi Flick’s side did lose 3-1 in Dortmund in the quarter final second leg encounter before conceding another three in the above Primera Liga clash.
What won’t help Barca’s preparation is the fact that they have a Copa del Rey showdown against Real Madrid at the weekend. Four days later, they host Inter Milan and the Italian side have their own distractions considering that they are duking it out with Napoli when it comes to the Serie A title.
The Italian champions were surprisingly beaten by Bologna last weekend and this was followed by a 3-0 humiliation in the Coppa Italia against Milan, with this Champions League tie coming after a crucial Serie A showdown against Roma. However, Inter managed to produce the goods when winning 2-1 at the Allianz Arena in the first leg of their quarter final tie against Bayern.
It all comes down to whether Inter are able to keep Barcelona quiet in the early stages and dictate the tempo of this game. Their strategy will be to keep things tight and aim to nullify opponents who are ultra-attacking and won’t need too many invitations to score.
Goals Under/Over
The Champions League betting sites think that Over 2.5 Goals is likely to happen. There are some punters who might push the envelope and go for Over 3.5 Goals considering that Barcelona claimed a 4-0 success against Borussia Dortmund in the quarter final first leg. We don’t think that this sort of scoreline is likely to happen here, although it’s possible that we could see something like a 3-1 win for the Catalan side.
Some punters will want to go for the safer option of plumping for Over 2.5 Goals. However, recent Barcelona games have not always featured a lot of goals. There was a 1-0 success against Mallorca and there was a similar winning scoreline away to Leganes. There was also a 1-1 draw against Real Betis and there’s certainly the fact that Inter will put players behind the ball.
However, lots of recent Inter games have seen Over 2.5 Goals. That includes both Champions League clashes against Bayern Munich. There was also the 3-0 drubbing by rivals Milan and there was also a 3-1 win over Cagliari. However, Under 2.5 could still end up being the value.
BTTS
Barcelona always feel virtually certain to find the net in their matches. It would be a big shock if the Catalan side failed to score during the ninety minutes. This is a team who have scored eighty-nine times in their thirty-three La Liga clashes. At home, they have found the net forty-six times in seventeen clashes at the Nou Camp.
It has now been a consecutive run of twenty-eight matches in all competitions where Barca have scored. They are probably the most dangerous attacking side in Europe and they will surely find the net at least once in this game. After all, Inter conceded in both games against Bayern so this bet simply comes down to whether you think the visitors will also find the net.
Simone Inzaghi’s side were able to find the net regularly and Inter were on a streak of thirteen matches scoring at least one goal before the recent aberrations against Bologna and Milan. They will surely look to create chances in this game and they were able to score twice at the Allianz Arena. Perhaps Inter will relish their role as underdogs and manage to throw the cat amongst the pigeons.
First Goalscorer
Robert Lewandowski is likely to be the top scorer in La Liga this season. He has managed forty-two goals in all competitions, including two against former club Borussia Dortmund. The forward continues to be world-class at the age of thirty-six and he might be a good option when it comes to a player scoring in your Champions League Bet Builder.
Raphinha has also emerged as a world-class talent. The former Leeds forward has now hit his stride for the Catalan club and the Brazilian recently bagged a brace against Celta Vigo after previously scoring against Borussia Dortmund. He’s been a man for the Champions League on several occasions this term, with a brace coming against Benfica.
Lamine Yamal was also on target against Dortmund, although Dani Olmo has recently found form and the Spaniard has bagged in three of his previous four matches. However, there are some Inter sharp-shooters who could be in the mix. Lautaro Martinez continues to have a healthy strike rate and the forward could be on target against a Barcelona team who are not always rock solid defensively.