Inter Milan preparations for their pivotal Champions League second leg against Barcelona have been thrown into disarray due to injury concerns, with their star forward likely to miss the crucial encounter at San Siro.
Medical tests scheduled for Wednesday are expected to confirm Nerazzurri supporters’ worst fears, as club sources have said there is little hope of the player’s availability.
The potential absence will be a loss at the worst time for Inter Milan as they face the Catalan giants after a thrilling 3-3 first-leg draw, where they showed vulnerability and firepower in not letting the Italians take full advantage of their weaknesses.
The Italians showed how much of a threat they can be as they pushed forward, and went two goals up almost immediately at Montjuïc, but may now have to face the Catalan giants without their most potent weapon.
That player is the captain Lautaro Martínez, who is also Inter Milan’s leading scorer this season with 27 goals in all competitions, according to Sky Sports.
He is such a physical presence, and his ability to finish on goal would have been vital against a Barcelona defence that showed its nerve after leaking three goals in the process of coming back and snatching a draw.
There is good news on the fitness front for Benjamin Pavard, with the French defender progressing in his recovery.
If he is able to return, it will give Inter added reinforcement to contend with the dangerous wingers, including the hot young teenager Lamine Yamal who lit up the first leg.
With Martínez probably missing out, there will be pressure on Marcus Thuram and Marko Arnautović to lead Inter’s attack.
In the meantime, Barcelona will have to fix defensive problems while they build off the momentum of an incredible equalizer from Raphinha.
Both sides will be preparing for their clash against each other at the end of this week, and although Inter’s injury troubles were a slight positive for Barcelona and made it more even, it still proved on Tuesday that everything is possible in a Champions League semi-final.
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