Inter Milan forward ‘happy’ and ‘excited’ heading into UCL semi-final vs Barcelona | OneFootball

PSG netted a 1-0 lead away from home in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal clash against Arsenal last night. All attention now turns to Catalonia where the second semifinal will kick off later today.

Barcelona have the home advantage first and will play host to Inter Milan at Montjuic, just days after their Copa del Rey win over Real Madrid. There has been little time for celebration, for the games come hard and fast.

The upcoming clash is seen to be one of Barcelona’s most steep challenges so far this season, especially given Inter’s style of play. It remains to be seen how Hansi Flick plots to open up the airtight defence.

Lautaro’s thoughts

Speaking to the media earlier this week, Inter Milan striker and World Cup winner Lautaro Martinez opened up about the upcoming game against Barcelona and how his side were preparing for the same.

“These days we tried to regain energy because we made a great effort against Roma, but at the same time we prepared this match well, both offensively and defensively,” he began, revealing how Inter are prioritising the Champions League.

Ready for the big challenge. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Elaborating on the work they did to prepare for the game against Hansi Flick’s men, the striker said,

“We have to do the work we’ve trained for, implement what we’ve analyzed of their strengths, and in order to exploit their defensive line, we have to play calmly and wait for the right moment.”

“We’ve worked well in recent days,” he added once more.

The game between Barcelona and the Nerazzurri is expected to be a blockbuster clash with one of Europe’s best defences taking on one of the best attacking teams. Speaking on what the game meant to him, Martinez said,

“A match like this gives us a lot of energy. I’m very happy and excited to be back playing in the Champions League semi-finals with Inter.”

“In three years, we’ve reached the final twice, and this is very important for us, for the group, and for Inter,” he added on Inter’s dominance in the competition.

Finally, the Argentine star admitted that there was close to zero margin for error against Barcelona.

“We have these last hours to prepare for the smallest details, and tomorrow we will face a big team like Barcelona.”

Source: Inter TV