CL Preview: Barcelona Host Inter Milan in Decisive Qualification Clash

As Barcelona and Inter Milan were drawn alongside Rubin Kazan and Dynamo Kyiv, few expected any form of tussle on the road to qualification for the European powerhouses. But as we head into the fifth matchday of the Champions League group stages that have hardly been the case.

The situation in Group F is a delicate one where all four contenders are very much in the competition to the knock out stages. Inter are currently topping the group with six points closely followed by both Barcelona and Rubin at five each with Dynamo resting at the bottom with four.

Ahead of this season’s edition of the best club competition in the world, the main buzz was about whether or not the reigning European Champions, Barcelona, would be able to do what none before them had achieved before: winning the big-eared trophy twice on the trot.

Looking at the situation the current cup holders are on the brink of an early elimination – unless they collect three vital points at home as they host José Mourinho’s men on Tuesday evening’s high profile clash. It may have been about prestige in the first encounter between these two sides, but this time around it’s about pure survival.

Barcelona

The treble-champions of last season haven’t quite lived up to the standards of last year. The Catalans have struggled in both domestically as well as the Champions League. Just this week Pep Guardiola’s men lost the top spot to bitter rivals Real Madrid after a disappointing 1-1 draw on the road to Athletic Bilbao.

In the first matchday of the group stages, Barcelona was pinned against Italian Champions Inter. Although they had a massive overtake in ball possession they lacked the efficiency to carve out those vital goals.

Barcelona went on to play well below par in their following home game against a stubborn Dynamo-side but Lionel Messi and Pedro each bagged a goal on either side of the interval to collect their first Champions League victory of the season.

The Catalans then sensationally walked away from a total of zero points in their double fixture with Rubin. Barca shockingly lost at home to the Russians who closed down the spaces efficiently and went on lightning counters to secure three very unexpected points. In the return clash in Russia the home side managed to play out goalless draw after a very disciplined defensive display. Barcelona were suddenly in deep trouble.

Unlike Mourinho, Guardiola’s squad is marred by absentees. Both Yaya Touré and Eric Abical have picked up the H1N1 virus with Rafael Marquez suffering from a different bug. Dmytro Chygrynskiy is ineligible but according to the latest reports both Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic should be fit for fight – but whether or not the duo plays is another side of the story.

Guardiola’s men now lie in a very tight spot where anything but a win would all but eliminate the Spanish champions out of the Champions League tournament. On top of that the all important El Clasico waits just around the corner.

Probable Starting XI: (4-3-3) Valdes; Alves, Puyol, Pique, Maxwell; Busquets, Keita, Xavi; Iniesta, Ibrahimovic, Henry

Inter Milan

While Inter have struggled in the Champions League, the same cannot be said for their domestic displays. José Mourinho’s men are currently topping the Serie A table with a five point lead to second place Juventus.

In the opening day round against Pep Guardiola’s men, Inter had to rely heavily on their defensive play and despite a major overtake in ball possession, the Catalan were unable to break through – ending the game in a goalless stalemate.

The following away draw against Rubin Kazan has to be considered somewhat lucky considering how many chances the Russians squandered while they more or less dictated the game from beginning to end.

The same goes for the first of two consecutive clashes with Dynamo as the home team fell behind twice before they were able to draw level against their Hungarian opponents. In the return fixture in Ukraine’s, Inter once again fell behind but completed an impressive comeback in the closing stages of the game as they overturned the 1-0 deficit to a lucky 2-1 victory

There is no way to deny that Inter possess enough quality and depth to go far in this season’s edition of the Champions League, but unless they can rid themselves of the mental block that is currently preventing them from bringing their free-flowing attack minded domestic play – which by the way simply oozes of confidence – out on to the European scene, they can’t expect things to go their way quite yet.

Considering that Wesley Sneijder – who suffered a thigh injury during the international break – is included in the squad, the only absentee is full back Davide Santon who’s recovering from a knee operation. In other words, the Portuguese tactician virtually has the entire squad at his disposal ahead of the important clash.

If Inter walks away with a victory they secure qualification into the next round independent on the outcome of Dynamo’s away game to Rubin earlier in the evening. It is going to be a special night for Samuel Eto’o who spent five incredibly successful seasons at the Catalan club before being shipped off to the fashion capital. The Cameroon has respectably vowed not to celebrate should he score against his former side at the Camp Nou.

Probable Starting XI: (4-3-1-2) Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, Chivu; Zanetti, Stankovic, Cambiasso; Sneijder; Eto'o, Milito