Barcelona host Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday, with both teams having beaten German opposition to get here.

The Catalan side beat Borussia Dortmund 5-3 on aggregate, with most of the damage done in the first leg at Camp Nou. A 4-0 win meant Dortmund’s 3-1 victory in the second leg was rendered irrelevant.

Inter, meanwhile, squeaked through against Bayern Munich. A 2-1 win at the Allianz Arena meant a draw was enough at the San Siro. This is what they got, a 2-2 result seeing them progress to the semi-finals 4-3 on aggregate.

BARCELONA VS INTER MILAN PREVIEW

The two sides come into this game in contrasting fortunes. Inter have lost two in a row in Serie A, allowing Napoli to claim top spot from under their noses. Their weekend defeat at home to sixth-placed Roma proved to be particularly damaging.

Barcelona, meanwhile, won the Copa del Rey on Saturday by beating bitter rivals Real Madrid 3-2. This was after extra time and this could affect their energy levels for this game. It is worth noting that Inter played on Sunday, a day later than Barca, though.

Barcelona are also flying in La Liga, having won their last three. They are four points ahead of closest rivals Real at the top of the table. This means, along with the Champions League, the treble is very much on.

This is in contrast to Inter, who were knocked out of the Coppa Italia last week by bitter rivals AC Milan. Surrendering top spot in Serie A too means a season that was full of promise is in danger of falling flat.

Barcelona have the edge in the head-to-head record, winning six of the 12 encounters between the two sides. They last met in the group stage of the 2022/23 Champions League. Inter won 1-0 at the San Siro, while the two sides shared a 3-3 draw at Camp Nou.

Barcelona won both group stage matches in the 2019/20 season 2-1. In the previous season, they won 2-0 at home and drew 1-1 away.

Dani Olmo is expected to return for Barcelona, but Robert Lewandowski is out. He suffered a hamstring injury against Celta Vigo earlier in April and will likely not feature. Marc Casado and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are still long-term absences, as is Mark Bernal.

Alejandro Balde could return from a low-grade hamstring injury, but this game will probably come too soon for him. The second leg is more likely.

Denzel Dumfries could return for Inter Milan having missed the quarter-finals. Valentin Carboni and Piotr Zielinski are both doubts.

BARCELONA VS INTER MILAN – PREDICTIONS

Barcelona Win
Barcelona are riding high in La Liga and have just won the Copa del Rey. They are also at home and have only lost once in their last 28 games in all competitions. With Inter’s current poor form, everything points to a Barcelona win. The main doubt is Barcelona playing 120 minutes in the Copa del Rey final, but this was still a day before Inter Milan’s defeat to Roma.

Draw
The draw has been quite a common result between the two sides of late, with the last encounter at Camp Nou ending 3-3.

Inter Milan Win
Inter beat Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena so can claim wins on the road in the Champions League. They are also the sort of side that shouldn’t be underestimated.

BARCELONA VS INTER MILAN – BETTING TIPS

Barcelona Win
Everything points to a Barca win. Their home form is exemplary and they are coming into this game off the back of a confidence-boosting win against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey. With Inter’s form poor, the home side will hope to put this tie beyond doubt before a tricky return trip to Italy.

Both Teams To Score
Barcelona have scored two or more goals in 10 of their last 11 home Champions League matches. Meanwhile, Inter have scored in 10 of their last 12 away games in the Champions League. Considering BTTS has landed in seven of Barcelona’s last 10 home Champions League games, I expect the same here.

HEAD-TO-HEAD AND KEY STATS

• Barcelona and Inter Milan have played each other 12 times in the Champions League era, with Barcelona winning six. Inter have won twice, while there have been four draws.
• Barcelona have won five of the last six meetings between the two sides at Camp Nou.
• Inter have never won at Camp Nou in the history of the Champions League.
• Inter’s three goals in their last game at Camp Nou increased their tally there to four. They had only scored one goal in their five previous appearances.
• Barcelona have only lost one in their last 28 games in all competitions and are unbeaten in 15.
• Barcelona have only lost one of 11 home Champions League fixtures this season.
• Inter Milan have lost their last three games in all competitions and haven’t won in five.
• Inter Milan have won five of their last six Champions League away games.