Inter Milan vs Barcelona tips and predictions: All eyes on Lamine Yamal in San Siro showdown

Inter Milan state of play

Inter Milan moved back to within three points of Serie A leaders Napoli on Sunday after a narrow 1-0 win over Verona at the San Siro. 

Simone Inzaghi clearly had eyes firmly on the Champions League second-leg showdown with Barcelona though. 

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He made a whopping 10 changes to his starting line-up, which was a risky move as Inter's top-flight form has been shaky - to say the least. 

And, after back-to-back defeats in the league and Napoli beating Lecce, Inter found themselves six points behind Antonio Conte's side before kick-off. 

But the gap has now been closed and it's all to play for with three games remaining as Inter look to retain their title. 

Barcelona state of play 

Barcelona came from behind to beat Real Valladolid 2-1 on Saturday in La Liga and maintain their four point advantage over Real Madrid at the top of the table, who themselves beat Celta Vigo.

Hansi Flick sent out a weakened side, making nine changes to the line-up that drew 3-3 with Inter last week. 

Read: Champions League betting tips: Semi-finals second legs preview

The intention was to rest Lamine Yamal. But the 17-year-old prodigy, who produced a virtuoso display against Inzaghi's side, was brought on after 38 minutes to replace injured debutant Dani Rodriguez. 

Yamal scored his 22nd goal on his landmark 100th Barcelona game against Inter. He is the youngest player to complete a century of competitive games for the club.

Key talking point: Will Yamal steal the show again? 

Yamal put on a masterclass in the first leg, especially in the opening 45 minutes, to inspire a superb comeback after Inter had led 2-0 by the 21st minute. 

Very few players have ever had such an impact on the biggest stage by Yamal's age. Despite only turning 18 in July, he already holds a dazzling array of records. 

He is the youngest ever Champions League starter, the youngest player to score in a knockout game, a quarter-final and also now a semi-final. 

But the pressure is on - and the San Siro will be no walk in the park. 

FIRST’s top tip for Inter Milan vs Barcelona

Lamine Yamal first goal scorer at 23/5 (BetMGM)

You simply can’t ignore the Spanish starlet. Ex-England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand gushed about him on social media after the first-leg thriller.

"As a pure football talent I'm going as far as to say I think Lamine Yamal is on another level to any player playing the game in the top five leagues in world football. Truly unbelievable,” he posted. Yamal has scored 15 goals in 50 appearances for Barca this term. 

Extra tips

Marcus Thuram anytime goalscorer at 11/5 (BetMGM)

Marcus Thuram bagged the opener for Inter last week and he is the Italian heavyweight's top goalscorer this term in Serie A with 14 to his name. 

The Frenchman makes Inzaghi's attack tick and he also tends to push opposition teams back with the threat of his pace and finishing in behind.

Alessandro Bastoni yellow card at 7/4 (Bet442)

Alessandro Bastoni claimed Inter enjoyed themselves in Spain last week. Whether he feels the same after round two remains to be seen. 

The big centre-back is Inter's most booked player this season with six yellow cards. He could easily add to that against Barca given their hyper-attacking style of play. 

Team news

Inter could be without influential forward Lautaro Martinez for the crunch clash, although the Argentine ace has returned to training. French defender Benjamin Pavard is also a doubt. 

Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is available for selection after serving a domestic suspension in Saturday's crucial win over Verona. 

Denzel Dumfries, Marcus Thuram, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Yann Sommer were all rested over the weekend and will be recalled to face Barca. 

Barca boss Flick is without Jules Kounde who again misses out through injury. Robert Lewandowski and Alejandro Balde are both close to returning to action and could be named on the bench. 

Between the sticks, Marc-Andre ter Stege featured in La Liga over the weekend. However, Wojciech Szczesny is expected to face Inter. 

Inter Milan vs Barcelona predicted line-ups

Inter: Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Arnautovic, Thuram (3-5-2)

Barcelona: Szczesny; Garcia, Araujo, Cubarsi, Martinez; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Torres (4-2-3-1)

Form guide (all competitions)

Inter Milan: DDWWDDLLLDW

Barcelona: WDWWLWWWDW

Odds correct at the time of writing.