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Champions League Worldview: Who Will Win - Inter Or Barcelona?
Goal.com's team of global experts give their opinions on Tuesday's Champions League semi-final.
Apr 19, 2010 10:00:00 AM
By Peter Staunton
On Tuesday, Barcelona will emerge at San Siro after an arduous bus journey across Europe in order to play Inter in the Champions League semi-final, first leg. The reigning champions, who are also leading the way in La Liga, have been imposing in this season's competition thus far, led imperiously by Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi.
Their opponents have taken their eyes off the domestic prize but are an imposing prospect in continental competition. The two sides have met twice already in this term's edition of the Champions League; those meetings yielded a 0-0 draw in Milan and a Barca win in Catalunya. But what will transpire this time? Goal.com's editors offer their views:
Inter may just have enough in their ranks to shut out Messi and Xavi from the game, so we cannot expect as easy a match for Barcelona as happened with Arsenal in the quarter-finals.
Also, there is a big difference between Inter now and the Inter that played in the group stages. They now appear to be a team, playing together better. Maicon is back to his best, Eto'o is starting to score more, and all of this leads me to say that in Milan we will see Inter win 1-0 or 2-1.
Mohammed Awaad, Goal.com Arabic
Without wishing to take anything away from Inter, who produced a magnificent performance at Stamford Bridge to beat Chelsea, I honestly believe that if they are to go through then they need to play even better than they did against Chelsea and also hope that Barcelona play beneath their capabilities.
Xavi - Too good for Inter's midfield, says Carlo Garganese
Inter's weakness is in centre midfield, and this is where the tie, by the law of averages, should be won or lost. Xavi is just so good that I don't see the likes of Thiago Motta, Dejan Stankovic, or even Esteban Cambiasso, being able to get anywhere near him. That doesn't mean Inter can't win, and if anyone can find the right strategy to defeat Barca it is Jose Mourinho. Inter also have the advantage in the first leg of having had an extra day's rest since their last league match.
But if Barcelona play near or at their best, and are close to full strength personnel-wise, then Barcelona will go through. This current team is the greatest Barcelona of all time, and probably one of the top five club teams of all time.
Carlo Garganese, Goal.com International
Since the beginning of the Champions League season, Inter have been my favourites. They've got a fantastic squad. Their bench is better than all other European contenders. This team can play with versatile tactics too. I've watched them a lot this season, and although they have had to play with nine or 10 players on occasion, they were always the stronger team. This is because Inter are superbly organised and have the right players for their system; a great defence and a great creative department.
But Barcelona have more individual quality. Messi can decide a match on his own. The Blaugrana squad have played together for a long time, they're a well oiled offensive machine and hard to beat.
I think just little details will decide this match. Mourinho will have the right tactics to disturb Barcelona's offensive plans. But some individual action could break this. Or the referee will decide, with faults, who participates in the final.
Francois Duchateau, Goal.com Germany
Well, I tipped Inter when the quarter-finals were drawn, which was a big risk with them being in Barcelona's half, but it is interesting now to see others also start to have confidence in their ability. Maybe, though, that will work against them. Maybe too much will be expected of them now, and they will get outplayed.
I do believe that the winner of this semi-final will win the competition. I have to stick to my original prediction of Inter, but I do have a feeling the weight of expectation might work against them, and Barcelona's superior quality could make the difference. It would be an incredible achievement if they really were to be the first team to win the Champions League back-to-back.
Sulmaan Ahmad, Goal.com UK
Wesley Sneijder - A key both win and without the ball, says Andre Baibich
Sneijder will also have to be important defensively. Inter will have to break down Barca's passing game, and there's no way of doing that without stopping Xavi. The Dutch midfielder is the obvious choice to take care of Xavi now that the new Barca formation has taken him a little further back. Everyone talks about stopping Messi, but the Argentinian is pretty much unstoppable when he receives the ball in a good position, so you have to stop the player that feeds him.
For Barca, it's all about execution and attitude. If they execute their style of play to perfection, there's no way to beat them. But they will have to do it matching the attitude and aggressive mindset of their opponents. If they do that, their technical superiority will show.
For the first leg, I bet on a hard fought battle and a 1-1 tie. I pick Barca to go through to the final.
Andre Baibich, Goal.com Brazil
I do not think that Inter are good enough to be the eliminator of Barcelona. In this competition they have not been so dominant, but against Chelsea and CSKA they showed signs of life. A lot depends on Sneijder, but even more on the defence of the Italians. When you put all your focus on Messi, someone else will excel. So every single Inter defender has to be world class. And this won't happen. 2-1 Barca.
Wout Stravers, Goal.com Netherlands
With the exception of a flash of brilliance from Messi, Xavi, Sneijder, or Maicon, the clash between Inter and Barca will largely come down to the mental boxing match between Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. As two of the most prodigious tacticians in football, both coaches will be persistently pacing the technical areas, fine-tuning their teams to adjust to the other coach's new challenges. Whether Guardiola's or Mourinho's tactics should prevail to shape the match is a difficult question to answer, but rest assured this will be a footballing chess match.
Pep Guardiola - His battle with Jose Mourinho is key according to Cyrus Malek
First leg: Inter 1-1 Barca
Second leg: Barca 1-1 Inter (unless Messi is able to snatch a second Barca goal late in the match to put Barca through)
Otherwise, Inter through to the final on penalties. Julio Cesar's ability to save spot-kicks proves to be the difference.
Cyrus C. Malek, Goal.com International
Keep up to date with all the latest Champions League news with Goal.com and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
Their opponents have taken their eyes off the domestic prize but are an imposing prospect in continental competition. The two sides have met twice already in this term's edition of the Champions League; those meetings yielded a 0-0 draw in Milan and a Barca win in Catalunya. But what will transpire this time? Goal.com's editors offer their views:
Inter may just have enough in their ranks to shut out Messi and Xavi from the game, so we cannot expect as easy a match for Barcelona as happened with Arsenal in the quarter-finals.
Also, there is a big difference between Inter now and the Inter that played in the group stages. They now appear to be a team, playing together better. Maicon is back to his best, Eto'o is starting to score more, and all of this leads me to say that in Milan we will see Inter win 1-0 or 2-1.
Mohammed Awaad, Goal.com Arabic
Without wishing to take anything away from Inter, who produced a magnificent performance at Stamford Bridge to beat Chelsea, I honestly believe that if they are to go through then they need to play even better than they did against Chelsea and also hope that Barcelona play beneath their capabilities.
Xavi - Too good for Inter's midfield, says Carlo Garganese
Inter's weakness is in centre midfield, and this is where the tie, by the law of averages, should be won or lost. Xavi is just so good that I don't see the likes of Thiago Motta, Dejan Stankovic, or even Esteban Cambiasso, being able to get anywhere near him. That doesn't mean Inter can't win, and if anyone can find the right strategy to defeat Barca it is Jose Mourinho. Inter also have the advantage in the first leg of having had an extra day's rest since their last league match.
But if Barcelona play near or at their best, and are close to full strength personnel-wise, then Barcelona will go through. This current team is the greatest Barcelona of all time, and probably one of the top five club teams of all time.
Carlo Garganese, Goal.com International
Since the beginning of the Champions League season, Inter have been my favourites. They've got a fantastic squad. Their bench is better than all other European contenders. This team can play with versatile tactics too. I've watched them a lot this season, and although they have had to play with nine or 10 players on occasion, they were always the stronger team. This is because Inter are superbly organised and have the right players for their system; a great defence and a great creative department.
But Barcelona have more individual quality. Messi can decide a match on his own. The Blaugrana squad have played together for a long time, they're a well oiled offensive machine and hard to beat.
I think just little details will decide this match. Mourinho will have the right tactics to disturb Barcelona's offensive plans. But some individual action could break this. Or the referee will decide, with faults, who participates in the final.
Francois Duchateau, Goal.com Germany
Well, I tipped Inter when the quarter-finals were drawn, which was a big risk with them being in Barcelona's half, but it is interesting now to see others also start to have confidence in their ability. Maybe, though, that will work against them. Maybe too much will be expected of them now, and they will get outplayed.
The group stage games, when Barcelona clearly outplayed Inter, aren't too much to go by. Jose has grown this team since then and has new ideas of how to get the best out of them in the Champions League now.
Jose Mourinho - Has given Inter a new persona in Europe according to Sulmaan Ahmad
Jose Mourinho - Has given Inter a new persona in Europe according to Sulmaan Ahmad
That being said, Barcelona are the masters of the big game. This is what is separating them from every other team in the world right now. Yes, they slipped in La Liga this weekend and are now barely ahead of Real Madrid, but when it comes to the must-win games, they win. They have only lost one competition since Guardiola came in as coach, the Copa del Rey quarter-final to Sevilla.
The extra travelling Barcelona have had to do due to the volcanic ash might even out the advantage they previously had by getting their second leg at home.
I do believe that the winner of this semi-final will win the competition. I have to stick to my original prediction of Inter, but I do have a feeling the weight of expectation might work against them, and Barcelona's superior quality could make the difference. It would be an incredible achievement if they really were to be the first team to win the Champions League back-to-back.
Sulmaan Ahmad, Goal.com UK
For sure, it will be one of the most engrossing matches given that we have two teams with completely opposite styles of play. While Barcelona love to dominate, combining entertaining football with an unrivalled tactical nous which not many teams have been able to break through, Inter’s style is what can be termed as ‘effective’ but nonetheless technically sound.
I may sound bizarre, but I do believe that Inter’s defence is far better than that of Barcelona, whose defence can be caught off guard as was seen against Arsenal. Inter will be physical and the going certainly will be far more difficult for Barcelona than it was when they met previously. The key area however is the midfield, as Sneijder and possibly Cambiasso will have to play their best games to keep the likes of Xavi, and even Pedro if he plays, quiet.
As much as I know that Barcelona have been the best, I do believe that it takes a Jose Mourinho to beat such a side. If the Italians can carry a one-goal lead to the second leg then I’m sure Inter would do a Chelsea from last season at Camp Nou and frustrate the defending champions. Their plan B of having the tall and physical Zlatan Ibrahimovic instead of Samuel Eto’o wouldn’t help, as he is one of the most overrated players.
Rahul Bali, Goal.com India
Wesley Sneijder - A key both win and without the ball, says Andre Baibich
Sneijder will also have to be important defensively. Inter will have to break down Barca's passing game, and there's no way of doing that without stopping Xavi. The Dutch midfielder is the obvious choice to take care of Xavi now that the new Barca formation has taken him a little further back. Everyone talks about stopping Messi, but the Argentinian is pretty much unstoppable when he receives the ball in a good position, so you have to stop the player that feeds him.
For Barca, it's all about execution and attitude. If they execute their style of play to perfection, there's no way to beat them. But they will have to do it matching the attitude and aggressive mindset of their opponents. If they do that, their technical superiority will show.
For the first leg, I bet on a hard fought battle and a 1-1 tie. I pick Barca to go through to the final.
Andre Baibich, Goal.com Brazil
I do not think that Inter are good enough to be the eliminator of Barcelona. In this competition they have not been so dominant, but against Chelsea and CSKA they showed signs of life. A lot depends on Sneijder, but even more on the defence of the Italians. When you put all your focus on Messi, someone else will excel. So every single Inter defender has to be world class. And this won't happen. 2-1 Barca.
Wout Stravers, Goal.com Netherlands
With the exception of a flash of brilliance from Messi, Xavi, Sneijder, or Maicon, the clash between Inter and Barca will largely come down to the mental boxing match between Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. As two of the most prodigious tacticians in football, both coaches will be persistently pacing the technical areas, fine-tuning their teams to adjust to the other coach's new challenges. Whether Guardiola's or Mourinho's tactics should prevail to shape the match is a difficult question to answer, but rest assured this will be a footballing chess match.
Pep Guardiola - His battle with Jose Mourinho is key according to Cyrus Malek
First leg: Inter 1-1 Barca
Second leg: Barca 1-1 Inter (unless Messi is able to snatch a second Barca goal late in the match to put Barca through)
Otherwise, Inter through to the final on penalties. Julio Cesar's ability to save spot-kicks proves to be the difference.
Cyrus C. Malek, Goal.com International
Keep up to date with all the latest Champions League news with Goal.com and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
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