About Barcelona: Futbol Club Barcelona, commonly called Barcelona and commonly called Barca, is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, which competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Inter Milan
Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale or Inter and in English-speaking countries as Inter Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is the only Italian team to have competed in the top flight of Italian football for the first time in 1909.
Barcelona vs Inter
Barcelona is on the verge of a place in the UEFA Champions League group stage after they were held to a 3-3 draw by Group C rivals Inter.
The host held in the second half despite two late goals from Robert Lewandowski as they failed to find a crucial victory in Catalonia.
Ousmane Dembele’s first-half goal looked set to put Xavi’s side on course for victory, but Inter rallied brilliantly after the restart with goals from Nicolo Barella and former Barcelona transfer target Lautaro Martinez.
Two Lewandowski equalizers – either side of Robin Goossens’ calm finish – handed Barcelona defeat on the night, but Inter will be eliminated if they win their final two group games.
Barcelona veterans are innumerable
The inquiry into Barcelona’s collapse at Camp Nou will include a harsh home reality for the experienced star.
With Gerard Pique in central defense, Xavi opted to insert captain Sergio Busquets into midfield.
Pique was saved by Niccolo Barella for Inter’s first equalizer, Busquets’ slow possession before Lautaro Martinez’s goal.
After that, Busquets limped off, Pique was brought out in the 90th minute and the pair appeared to enter their last day as Barcelona players.
Both lack big games and experience, but they are often looked at by Inter and the end of 2022/23 will likely be their last at Camp Nou.
The full-time the match
We will finally take a breather. The football at Camp Nou was top-notch, but a draw would leave Barcelona in danger of relegation from the Europa League in the Spanish city. Five shots went into the net in the second half. Barca started with a goal, but Barrella equalized in the 50th minute. Inter then took the lead twice, but Lewandowski stepped up to take his team back. However, the Catalans won the night and are three behind Inter in Group C. Bayern got past Viktoria Plzen in the other game and advanced to the last 16. The situation was dire for Barcelona. They need to win two games and hope Inter won’t get more than two wins from the remaining games.
Martinez showed Barcelona what they were missing
Lewandowski’s performances show why Barcelona is so keen on him this summer, but his opponent, Argentina international Martinez, shows why Barcelona wants him back in 2021.
Despite interest from the Catalans, Inter remained firm on Martinez and ruled out a potential exit from the San Siro.
Without leading Lewandowski forward, his play was a pain for Barcelona all night, with a confident pass for Mark ter Stegen and a late assist for Goossens.
Barcelona’s heavy reliance on Lewandowski is clear and a solid display from Martinez suggests there is a reliable backup.
Preview
Barcelona coach Xavi admits his side is in danger in the Champions League but insists they will seek revenge against Inter Milan on Wednesday.
The Catalans suffered a 1-0 defeat in Italy last week and only a victory at Camp Nou will give them a realistic chance of qualifying for the knockout stage and avoiding exiting the second round of the group exit.
Inter are three points ahead of Barcelona with three games remaining and could improve their record against the Catalans if they avoid defeat.
“This is a special game, we won a home game and we didn’t do our homework either,” Xavi said in a press conference on Tuesday.
Barcelona was beaten 2-0 by Group C leaders Bayern Munich on September 13, after failing to find a way past a crowded Inter defense at the San Siro.
