Barcelona – Inter

Inter will try to snatch a draw from Barcelona

On Wednesday 12 October, Barcelona take on Inter at home. From a tournament point of view, the match is akin to a play-off. If they lose, Barcelona will lose their chances of continuing in the Champions League. A draw would also be an almost fatal outcome. Inter will settle for a peaceful outcome. The Catalan club have slowed down sharply after the international break. Barcelona barely beat Mallorca and Celta. The first leg against Inter was a defeat. Such a result was very unexpected. In three games, Xavi's men scored only two goals. The staffing losses could partly be blamed, but it is in the attacking line-up that the coach still has two or three options for each position. The match against Celta also marked the end of Robert Lewandowski's scoring streak in La Liga. Barcelona's attack lost some confidence. In the match against the visitors from Vigo, the intrigue did not last until the final minutes. Celta struck three shots on goal, while Barcelona allowed themselves to play passive football. Ball possession was not dominant - not even crossing the 60% mark. Barcelona still have six players injured: Bellerin, Araujo, Depay, Christensen, Kessier and Kunde. After a very poor start, it was the performance against Barcelona that put the critics to shame. Such a victory took the pressure off the coach and the players in an instant. In the next match, Inter broke their unsuccessful streak in the Italian championship as well. The team managed to take three points away from stalwart Sassuolo. Importantly, the club have gradually adapted to playing without Romelu Lukaku. Edin Dzeko netted the brace in the last game. The Bosnian is in great form. In addition to Lukaku, Inter have two other important losses: attacking midfielder Correa and central midfielder Brozovic. The odds on Inter have now reached 8.00. There is still no such difference in class between the teams, given Barcelona's personnel situation and the lack of a large number of goals in recent matches. Inter are experiencing a kind of morale boost. Xavi's team has a curious series of three games with a total of less than a goal. In the next game, three goals are given as the base total. It is logical to assume a cautious encounter on the part of the visitors. Once again, Barcelona might have problems in penetrating the positional defence. A week ago, Xavi's men had two shots on target. The situation is unlikely to change drastically. Inter will do everything they can to secure a draw and avoid taking any unnecessary risks.