In their last match, Barcelona and Inter drew 3-3 in the Camp Nou

Barcelona have been champions of Europe on five occasions but are yet to reach those heights in the post-Lionel Messi era, while Inter have ruled the continent three times, most recently under José Mourinho in 2009-10.

And after each saw off German opposition in the quarter-finals, Barcelona routing Borussia Dortmund and Inter coming through two tense meetings with Bayern Munich, they will face off for a spot in this season’s showpiece.

Barcelona have had two tastes of silverware already this term, winning the Supercopa de España and the Copa del Rey, and a clean sweep is now on their agenda.

Jules Koundé was the extra-time hero as Hansi Flick’s side overcame their bitter rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday, and with a four-point lead over Los Blancos at the top of La Liga, this is shaping up to be a very memorable season for the Blaugrana.

Since the turn of the year, Barça have only lost once in 28 games (22 wins, five draws excluding extra-time), with that defeat coming in the second leg of their quarter-final against Dortmund, as they took their foot off the gas after a 4-0 first-leg win.

Their hopes of Champions League glory appeared to have taken a huge blow when Robert Lewandowski, who has 11 goals in the competition this campaign, suffered a hamstring injury that will cause him to miss both matches against Inter.

Yamal and Raphinha have combined for more goals than any other duo in the Champions League this term (five – two Yamal assists, three Raphinha assists), also creating the most chances for one another of any teammate pairing (16 – eight each).

Raphinha’s total of 51 goal involvements in all competitions this season (30 goals, 21 assists) is only bettered by Mohamed Salah of Liverpool (33 goals, 23 assists) across Europe’s big five leagues, while Yamal has 34 goal involvements (14 goals, 20 assists).

If any team is equipped to cope with Lewandowski’s absence, it’s Barça, who have averaged 3.1 goals per game in the Champions League under Flick.

The only club-manager duo with a better figure in the competition’s history? That would be Flick’s Bayern (3.2), who won the trophy as part of their 2019-20 treble.

However, Flick’s star-studded attack will come up against an Inter team that has already kept eight clean sheets in the Champions League this season.

Another would see them equal the record for most shutouts by an Italian team in a single edition, held jointly by Milan in 2004-05 and Juventus in 2016-17.

Simone Inzaghi has forged a reputation as a knockout specialist since arriving at Inter in 2021, winning the Coppa Italia twice, the Supercoppa Italiana on three occasions, and leading them to the 2023 Champions League final.

He will oversee his 50th Champions League match here, becoming the seventh Italian coach to reach this milestone; the most for any nation (currently level with Spain). His 26 wins are already the most by an Italian manager through their first 50 Champions League matches (one ahead of Marcello Lippi’s 25).

Inzaghi has shown his game-management skills on the big stage once again this term. Inter have only spent 10 minutes and 54 seconds in a losing position in the Champions League in 2024-25, the shortest total time of any team.

Barcelona vs Inter Head-to-Head
The one previous European Cup/Champions League knockout-stage tie between these two giants was a memorable one, coming at the same stage of the 2009-10 edition.

On that occasion, Mourinho’s Inter eliminated Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona – then the reigning champions – 3-2 on aggregate, winning 3-1 at San Siro and then limiting the Blaugrana to a 1-0 victory at Camp Nou.

While Inter edged the teams’ biggest meeting, they have faced each other on 16 previous occasions in Europe overall, with Barça winning eight of those games (five draws, three losses).

The Nerazzurri are unbeaten in their last two against the Catalan giants, though, playing out a 3-3 draw at San Siro and winning 1-0 on their travels in the 2022-23 Champions League group stage. Barça fell at the first hurdle that campaign, while Inter reached the final.

However, Barcelona are unbeaten in their six home games against Inter in the Champions League (five wins, one draw).