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Turkish international Hakan Calhanoglu will play a key role in Inter Milan’s midfield as the Italian club faces Barcelona in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
Inter, seeking their first final since 2010, arrives with a reputation for powerful defense and clinical finishing.
Barcelona, meanwhile, is enjoying a resurgence under head coach Hansi Flick. In his first season with the Catalan side, Flick has guided the team to their first Champions League semi-final since the 2018/19 campaign.
The attack is led by Robert Lewandowski, Brazilian winger Raphinha, and young talent Lamine Yamal, who together have scored 27 of Barcelona’s 37 goals in the competition.
After comfortably eliminating Dortmund in the quarter-finals, Barcelona will look to build a lead at home. The team appears confident, having overcome recent struggles in the latter stages of the tournament.
Inter, on the other hand, does not rely on scoring heavily. Though they have only scored 19 goals compared to Barcelona’s 37, they have conceded just five.
Their defensive structure has been key. Lautaro Martinez remains in excellent form, scoring in each of his last five Champions League matches. He recently became the first Inter player to score more than 20 goals in the competition.
The two sides have met 12 times in the Champions League. Barcelona has the edge with six wins, four draws, and two defeats.
However, Inter won their most critical encounter—beating Barcelona 3–2 on aggregate in the 2009/10 semi-final on their way to the title under José Mourinho.
Barcelona will aim to take advantage of the first leg. Inter, unbeaten in their last 15 home matches in the competition (12 wins, 3 draws) since a 2–0 defeat to Bayern in the 2022 group stage, will be tough opponents in the return fixture.
Barcelona: Szczęsny; Koundé, Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez, Gerard Martín; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Ferran Torres
Inter: Sommer; Augusto, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Barella, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Thuram
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