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Barca look to make up ground ahead of Inter clash


Published : 11 Oct 2022 08:58 PM

Barcelona will be looking to give their Champions League knockout-round hopes a huge boost when they welcome Inter Milan to Camp Nou for a key encounter on Wednesday night.

The Catalan outfit are third in Group C, three points behind second-placed Inter, with the Italian giants recording a 1-0 victory when the two teams locked horns at San Siro last week.

Barcelona failed to progress through the group stage in the Champions League last season, and the club are facing that possibility again this term, with a total of three points from three matches leaving them third in Group C, three points behind second-placed Inter and six from leaders Bayern Munich.

Inter entered the clash with Barcelona last week off the back of successive Serie A defeats to Udinese and Roma, but a huge performance allowed them to secure all three points.

Simone Inzaghi's side suffered a 2-0 loss to Bayern in their section opener on September 7 but recorded a 2-0 victory away to Plzen before the success over Barcelona, and a total of six points has left them in second position, three points behind Bayern, who are the overwhelming favourites to top the group.

Barcelona welcomed Frenkie de Jong back from injury against Celta at the weekend, but Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Hector Bellerin, Ronald Araujo, Memphis Depay and Jules Kounde remain on the sidelines.

Head coach Xavi will make changes from the side that started against Celta, with Ousmane Dembele, Ansu Fati, Sergi Roberto and Eric Garcia in line for starting roles on Wednesday night.

Marcos Alonso could get the nod at left-back, with Gerard Pique joining Garcia in the middle, but there are unlikely to be changes in midfield, with Gavi, Pedri and Sergio Busquets again set to start here.

As for Inter, Dalbert, Marcelo Brozovic, Alex Cordaz, Joaquin Correa and Gabriel Brazao remain on the sidelines for the Italian giants.

Romelu Lukaku has a chance of being available for selection, with the Belgium international recovering from the muscular problem that has kept him on the sidelines since the end of August, although he will not be considered for a start. Dzeko is set to feature alongside Lautaro Martinez in the final third of the field, while Denzel Dumfries could get the nod as the right-sided wing-back, with Federico Dimarco lining up on the opposite side.