Inter v Barcelona: Prediction, tips and bet builder as Barca star returns for Champions League semi-final decider

The two clubs served up one of the all-time great Champions League games in their first leg, with Barca coming back from behind on two occasions to seal a 3-3 draw. 

Tuesday’s second leg has the potential to be just as thrilling, especially with Barcelona set to welcome back star striker Robert Lewandowski.

The Polish forward has been out of action for the last two weeks with a hamstring injury but appears to have healed up in time for their biggest game of the season so far.

While Barca have coped fine without their star man - winning three of their last four games and scoring nine goals in the process – the very presence of the big Pole will give the visitors a big boost and Inter’s defence a lot to ponder.

Speaking of the Italian side, I Nerazzurri snapped their five-match winless run with a 1-0 win over Verona last weekend. It’s a victory that keeps Inter in the hunt for the title and also lifts their confidence for Tuesday’s huge encounter.

Simone Inzaghi has led the club to six trophies during his four seasons in charge, but in order to become a true club legend, the Italian needs to add a European trophy to his CV.

The Italian came close in 2022/23 when he took Inter to the final before losing against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

Inzaghi has got another bite at the cherry, and his side will fancy their chances of reaching the final as they contest the second leg on home turf.

Putting their recent blip to one side, Inter are a tough side to break down at the San Siro. During this entire Champions League campaign, Inzaghi’s men have only conceded three goals at home – all of which came during the knockout phase.

Inter will also be encouraged by Barcelona’s poor record. The Spanish giants have only won five of their last 24 away games in Italy. Barca have also picked up just one away win over Inter in their last six Champions League games.

Here we pick out some of our best tips for this juicy European meeting, and if you put it into a Betway bet builder you’ll get odds of around 5/1.

Inter v Barcelona bet builder

Both teams to score – 2/5

Yann Sommer +3 saves – 30/100

Lamine Yamal +1 shots on target – 7/20

Robert Lewandowski anytime goalscorer – 23/20

Good luck and please gamble responsibly.

Following that thrilling first leg draw, we’re staying clear of the outright market – seriously, even Derren Brown himself would struggle to predict the outcome of this one.

Instead, we like the look of both teams to score. This landed in five of their last six head-to-head encounters, with the last two meetings both ending in 3-3 draws.

BTTS has also been a popular bet in Barca’s recent games, with five of their last six matches seeing both teams rattle the net.

In terms of specific player bets, there are three which have caught our eye.

Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer to make 3+ saves is currently priced at around 30/100. This landed in the opening leg and with Barca scoring more goals than any other club in the Champions League this season, we expect the visitors to keep the Swiss shot stopper busy.

Lamine Yamal had one of his greatest performances of his young career last Wednesday, and we’re backing the youngster to come up trumps again. We’re putting our chips on the teenager to have 1+ shots on target.

Lastly, we’re backing the returning Robert Lewandowski to score anytime. The Pole grabbed a brace against Borussia Dortmund on his last Champions League outing.

Lewy is 24 goals behind second-placed Lionel Messi on the all-time UCL goalscorers chart. We’re backing him to close that gap.

Inter v Barcelona: How to watch and listen

Inter v Barcelona will be shown live on TNT Sports at 20:00 on Tuesday, May 6. There will be live match updates on BBC Radio 5 Live and talkSPORT.

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How do we create our tips?

Planet Sport has a rich history of providing quality, engaging and creative user-friendly content across a wide range of sports.

The Planet Sport team has more than twenty years’ experience working in the sports industry and use their knowledge, experience and statistical analysis to bring you the very best tips possible.

We specialise in clear, informative, data-driven tips, predictions and guides that will steer you in the right direction, whether you are a part-time bettor or consider yourself a bit of a pro.

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