The decisive match, against the champions' Barcelona even without Messi, to center the passage to the Champions League knockout rounds that have been missing for seven years: Antonio Conte calls on the fans, '' the positive energy '' of San Siro that will touch on sold out with collection records, for a company that must be of all '' both players on the pitch and the fan in the stands ''. Ninety fundamental minutes for Inter, which is driven by the enthusiasm of first place in the standings. '' It is an important game, we are playing the qualification. If we rewind the tape - Conte underlines - when there were the draws there was talk of a very difficult group. The fact of having arrived at the last day to play the qualification at home against Barcelona, we must give great pride ". Inter, strong in direct confrontation in favor, will have to at least get the same result (also present on the big screen of San Siro) of Borussia Dortmund engaged at home against Slavia Prague. Winning against Barcelona, already qualified as first in the group, would allow the nerazzurri not to make calculations and not to look at the challenge of Dortmund. '' Winning, or doing the same result as Dortmund - recalls Conte - we would spend the round. We will continue to have an experience in the Champions League, many of us were not great visitors, I was the first one ".
It will also be without Messi, Piquè, Sergi Roberto (left to rest) and with Semedo, Jordi Alba, Arthur and Dembelé injured, but Barcelona will not play at San Siro with the role of sacrificial victim or spreading red carpets. For Inter it is the match of life in the Champions League, a race without tomorrow, but the Catalan club - with a turnover of nearly a billion euros and a global brand - cannot afford to make a bad impression on the international scene. The absence of Messi makes noise but Ernesto Valverde explains it in a few words and sending back to the sender any kind of controversy over the authorship of this choice: "He is a decisive player but he must rest. I decided not to take him to Milan, let's play anyway in eleven ". Inter will remain one of the few teams not to have suffered a goal from the six-time Golden Ball, back from a hat-trick in the league.
Possible Inter-Barcelona formations
INTER (3-5-2): Inter (3-5-2): Handanovic; Godin, De Vrij, Skriniar; Candreva, Vecino, Borja Valero, Lazaro; Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez (Padelli, Bastoni, Asamoah, D'Ambrosio, Biraghi, Politano, Esposito) All .: Conte
BARCELONA (4-3-3): Neto; Wague, Umtiti, Todibo, Junior Firpo; Vidal, Rakitic, Alena; Griezmann, Suarez, Carles Perez. (Ter Stegen, Inaki Pena, Lenglet, Busquets, De Jong, Ansu, Riqui Puig) All: Valverde. REFEREE: Kuipers (Netherlands). Shares in Snai: 1.55; 4.50; 5.25.
