Inter Milan Are the Best Team Possible to Beat Barcelona

Inter Milan and Barcelona advanced to the semifinals of the Champions League beating Spartak Moscow and Arsenal respectively, confirming the first semifinal match-up.

Inter Milan and Barcelona were paired together in the group stages, with a 0-0 draw in Italy and a 2-0 home victory in the Nou Camp being the results.

This encounter offers many mouthwatering scenarios.

Samuel Eto'o makes his second return to the Nou Camp since being sold this summer.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic goes up against his former coach and team again.

Inter Milan striker Diego Milito may face his brother Gabriel Milito, if the Barcelona centreback makes an appearance during either of the games. 

One of the most exciting matchups is that of Jose Mourinho and Josep Guardiola. Mourinho was a part of the Barcelona coaching staff during some of Guardiola's playing years at Barcelona.

The self-proclaimed "Special One" will have to go head-to-head with Barcelona's "Young One."

Jose Mourinho will also have to try and combat the special abilities of Lionel Messi, who after recent weeks has re-established himself as the best player in world football beyond a doubt.

The one negative for Pep Guardiola and his Barcelona team is that Inter Milan may be the most suitable team to knock the Catalan giants from the throne.

Under the watchful eye of Jose Mourinho, Inter Milan have successfully adopted a 4-3-3 system that somewhat mimics that of Barcelona's system.

Inter Milan's 4-3-3 system can be readily altered to a more defensively assured 4-5-1 system.

When Jose Mourinho took his Inter side to Stamford Bridge earlier in the Champions League he limited Chelsea's attacking options by pulling the two wide men of the front line back into a midfield position, inhibiting Chelsea's freedom to pass the ball and set up neat triangles.

Barcelona are one of, if not, the best passing and attacking teams in football. They use an attacking 4-3-3 formation, with an attacking triangle in the midfield.

The three in the middle are key for Barcelona. Andres Iniesta and Xavi are the two playmakers. The Spanish internationals string the majority of Barcelona's passing moves together while also moving forward to take up attacking positions.

Either Sergio Busquets, Yaya Toure, or Seydou Keita will be the anchor of the midfield. Their duty being to break up the play and win back possession.

Inter Milan have a ready made system to counteract Barcelona's three in midfield.

Jose Mourinho will position his three-man midfield in a defensive triangle. Esteban Cambiasso and Thiago Motta, who is also a former Barcelona player, will have the responsibility of sitting in front of Xavi and Iniesta and breaking up anything they attempt to put together.

Inter Milan's playmaker, Wesley Sneijder will then have the freedom to attack at the top of the triangle.

He will sit on Barcelona's anchor man in an attempt to feed off any mistakes that are created.

Inter Milan ran this formation to perfection against Chelsea in both legs of their last 16 tie earlier in the tournament.

Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack were restricted in their freedom to pass the ball and generate attacking moves while John Obi Mikel was pressured into mistakes, which Inter Milan pounced upon.

Barcelona and Inter Milan like both fullbacks to use the full length of the pitch. Both teams have a stronger attack from their right side more so than their left.

Barcelona's right back Dani Alves and Inter Milan's right back Maicon are carbon copies of each other in style of play, but Maicon is the better of the two.

Jose Mourinho will most likely employ Diego Milito as the main striker up front, leaving Samuel Eto'o to take advantage of Dani Alves's forward wandering.

Goran Pandev is usually the third man across the front, but he will most likely be  sacrificed for a more defensive minded midfielder, possibly Dejan Stankovic, to help track back against Messi.

Inter Milan know Zlatan Ibrahimovic very well.

Inter Milan's centre half Walter Samuel will have gained greatly from playing opposite Ibrahimovic for all of those years during training. As will goalkeeper Julio Cesar.

"The Special One" has shown before that his team is more than capable of absorbing pressure and then breaking into counterattacks. Jose Mourinho can smell what alluded him during his tenure at Chelsea, another Champions League final.

Could history repeat itself, with Jose Mourinho lifting the Champions League in his final hour with the club before parting ways in the summer?