Barcelona vs Inter predictions, odds and betting tips

Inter’s treble dreams were extinguished last week, but a three-trophy season is still a possibility for Barcelona after their Copa del Rey success at the weekend. Both teams remain in the hunt for their domestic titles.

On Wednesday, though, the Champions League takes centre stage again. A place in the final is up for grabs – can either side take control of the tie in the first leg?

Barcelona vs Inter best bets

• Barcelona to win – 7/10 with Betfred
• Barcelona to win the second half – 10/11 with Tote
• Ferran Torres to score any time – 12/5 with BetMGM

Barcelona vs Inter odds

Find the latest match odds for Barcelona vs Inter. All odds are provided by our best football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.

Barcelona vs Inter predictions

This was supposed to be a transitional season for Barcelona. 

Xavi Hernandez stepped down as manager at the end of last term, which saw the Catalans finish as distant runners-up in La Liga. They were no more than quarter-finalists in the Champions League and Copa del Rey, so the consensus pointed towards a rebuild.

Hansi Flick was chosen as Xavi’s replacement. It was an interesting choice. If Xavi, an academy graduate and Barcelona ideologue who represented the club 767 times as a player, was the archetypal insider, the instalment of Flick in the dugout marked a clear break from the Barca tradition.

For one, he is not a Spanish speaker. Neither were Ronald Koeman or Frank Rijkaard, but both were Dutch and thus had a stylistic connection to a club built by Johan Cruyff in its modern iteration. Koeman also played for Barcelona with distinction.

Even Radomir Antic, the club’s manager for a short period in 2003, spoke Spanish fluently having previously managed other teams in La Liga. Taking all that into account, Flick goes down as the biggest outsider to manage the club since Bobby Robson in the 1990s.

Not everyone was happy with his appointment. Purists pointed towards the absence of a connection with Barcelona as a weakness. In fact, it has turned out to be a strength.

Flick has not abandoned all the footballing principles that have been associated with Barcelona for years. The Blaugrana lead the way for possession in La Liga (although not in the Champions League). They play proactive football with an emphasis on the attack.

There are notable changes, however. Flick’s Barcelona are more direct than previous versions. The team is encouraged to transition quickly when they win the ball back, as opposed to recycling possession. Their build-up is faster and less considered. Barcelona are by no means a long-ball team, but they have undoubtedly become more vertical.

With a few weeks of the campaign remaining, they could hardly be in a better position. Barca beat Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final at the weekend. They are four points clear of their arch-rivals in La Liga and are the favourites to win the Champions League.

The threat posed by Inter should not be taken lightly, however. This should be a cracking tie.

Barcelona vs Inter betting tips

Barcelona and Inter butt heads in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.

Barcelona to win

This game could resemble a battle between an irresistible force and an immovable object. 

Barcelona have scored the most goals in this competition and Inter have conceded the fewest. The Champions League’s best attack meets its meanest defence.

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Inter appear to have gone off the boil of late. They were trounced 3-0 by AC Milan in the Coppa Italia last week and have allowed Napoli to overtake them as favourites to win the Serie A title.

Barcelona have an excellent home record in Europe, winning five and drawing one of their six matches in front of their own fans.

In those six games they have scored 21 goals, so even Inter’s backline will be tested on Wednesday.

Go for a Barcelona win at 7/10 with Betfred

Barcelona to win the second half

Simone Inzaghi would be delighted to get to half-time at 0-0. That will be Inter’s first aim on Wednesday.

While they have an excellent defensive record in the Champions League, it would be wrong to describe the Nerazzurri as a defensive team. They are comfortably the top scorers in Serie A, for instance.

Yet against this relentless Barcelona team, Inter may well find it difficult to strike the right balance. 

Flick’s men tend to come on strong in the second half. They are La Liga’s top performers between minutes 46 and 90.

Barcelona could pull away from Inter after the interval.

Tip Barcelona to win the second half at 10/11 with Tote

Ferran Torres to score any time

Barcelona will have to make do without Robert Lewandowski on Wednesday, with the Poland international nursing a hamstring injury.

Ferran Torres will deputise for Lewandowski. He is not quite in the 36-year-old’s class, but Torres has shown himself to be a useful asset this term.

The former Manchester City forward was on target on Saturday, scoring a vital equaliser in the Copa del Rey final to force extra time.

Torres has scored 11 goals in his last 18 outings in all competitions – a very respectable tally given he is not a guaranteed starter.

Choose Ferran Torres to score any time at 12/5 with BetMGM

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