Barcelona and Inter face late fitness questions ahead of Champions League semifinal second leg
It's another big week in Europe as the UEFA Champions League semifinals come to a close, first with Barcelona's trip to Milan on Tuesday. It is such a special week that there's more than one way to catch the action – in addition to catching the game on CBS and Paramount+, David Beckham will host the first edition of "Beckham and Friends" on Paramount+, an alternative live broadcast during both of this week's Champions League semifinals and the final. I'm Pardeep Cattry with the latest.
📺 Footy fixAll times U.S./Eastern
Monday, May 5🇮🇹 Serie A: Genoa vs. AC Milan, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+🏴 EPL: Crystal Palace vs. Nottingham Forest, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
Tuesday, May 6🇪🇺 UCL: Inter vs. Barcelona, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS, Paramount+🇺🇸 Open Cup: Tacoma Defiance vs. Portland Timbers, 10 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line⚫🔵 Inter target the upset, with or without MartinezInter may finally have some momentum on their side, but even with a deadlocked tie and home field advantage in the second leg on Tuesday, it is Simone Inzaghi's team who have been labeled as the underdogs against Barcelona. It is not necessarily an unwarranted characterization – Inter may be a defensive juggernaut but that was not on display in last week's 3-3 draw, plus they might be short-staffed for the second leg.
Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard are at risk of missing Tuesday's game while detailing with injuries, in Martinez's case a hamstring issue he picked up in Barcelona last week, while Pavard's is an ankle injury that's a few days older. Inzaghi played his cards close to his chest in his pre-match press conference Monday, describing their status as a gameday decision.
- Inzaghi: "We'll decide tomorrow with the staff and the players. They'll have to tell me how they feel. Pavard has good feelings, Lautaro hasn't trained since the Barcelona match. Let's see how he is today in training."
It is a situation that sets up for Marcus Thuram to be the focal point of Inter's plans to reach the Champions League final, especially so after his performance in Barcelona last week. The forward is Inter's second-best goalscorer this season with 18 goals across all competitions and will be counted on to take advantage of Barcelona's somewhat-leaky defense, while set pieces could also be an important opportunity to score from after Denzel Dumfries's brace last week. Whether it will all be enough to combat the might of a Lamine Yamal-led Barcelona, though, is the big question and speaking of…
📺 Premiering tomorrowBarcelona arrive in Milan at the start of a crucial week for their treble hopes, both with a spot in the Champions League final on the line in Tuesday's match against Inter and with a crucial edition of El Clasico in La Liga play on Sunday. Their fate is still very much in their hands as things stand, especially so in the Champions League after Robert Lewandowski made the trip to Italy after a few weeks on the sidelines.
While Lewandowski will be a big help if he can play a sizable role against Inter, the center of attention will still be Lamine Yamal. Fresh off his impactful 100th appearance for Barcelona in last week's first leg, the 17-year-old is becoming the star of the show for Hansi Flick's side and has fully earned his status as the game's most exciting rising talent. Take it from Inzaghi, whose job it is to find a way to limit Yamal's skills, no matter how difficult the task might be – the Inter manager said he will add some defensive layers to keep the Barcelona player at bay, all while joining the long list of people showering praise on the teenager.
- Inzaghi: "We have to try not to let him get the ball, but it's impossible. Obviously, he'll be double-marked, a player who will be closely watched, and we'll try to pay attention to him. In person, he's a tremendous talent; he's truly dangerous and everyone gives him the ball. I was impressed by his quick thinking; he always knows what play to make."
With Lewandowski back in the mix, though, Barcelona could bring their full attacking might to Tuesday's match in Milan. Between Lewandowski, Yamal and Raphinha alone, Flick's group have scored 86 goals across all competitions, excelling in an attack-first approach that has allowed them to survive their fairly frequent defensive mistakes. The aggregate score might be even but this is Barcelona's tie to lose, as last week's dominant performance proves. Much like it was in last month's Copa del Rey final, the onus is on them to live up to the moment.
🔗 Top Stories🇪🇺 Players to watch: Ahead of this week's Champions League semifinals, here are the players who will make or break each team's chances of reaching the final.
🇩🇪 Bayern win title: Bayern Munich officially became the Bundesliga champions on Sunday, ending Harry Kane's 600-plus game wait to win a major title for club or country.
🇧🇷 Ancelotti terms agreed: Real Madrid and Brazil have reportedly agreed to exit terms, clearing the way for Carlo Ancelotti to finally take charge of the national team with a year to go until the World Cup.
🔴 Alexander-Arnold's goodbye: Trent Alexander-Arnold announced Monday that he would leave Liverpool this summer, likely ahead of a move to Real Madrid.
⚫⚪ McKennie's new deal: Weston McKennie agreed to a new deal with Juventus that would keep him at the club through the 2027-28 season.
🌴 Messi scores, Miami win: Lionel Messi scored another impressive goal in Inter Miami's 4-1 win over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.
🔍 MLS discovery rights, explained: As Kevin de Bruyne considers a move to MLS, here's an explainer on what MLS discovery rights are and how they work.
🔵 Vardy blows whistle: Leicester City's Jamie Vardy blew the referee's whistle to summon help after the referee went down with an injury during their game against Southampton on Saturday.
💰 The Back Line💵 Best bets- UEFA Champions League: winner💰 THE PICK: Paris Saint-Germain to win the Champions League (+115) – Paris Saint-Germain enter this week as the favorites to win the Champions League, perhaps helped by the fact that they are the only team to carry an advantage heading into the second leg. Still, it's not necessarily an undeserving title for the French champions – since coming into their own in the new year, they have gotten the better of Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa en route to the semifinals. They gave Arsenal plenty of trouble in last week's first leg, too, and may just have a style of play that makes them nearly impossible to beat. There's a compelling case that PSG are the team to beat at this point, especially so after surviving the early difficulties of the season.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.
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