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Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez returns to the starting line-up after recovering from an injury sustained during the first leg of the Champions League semi-final clash against Barcelona. That opening leg ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw, leaving everything to play for in the decisive second leg at the San Siro.
Martinez, who has been a key figure in Inter’s European campaign with seven goals since the start of the year—including two against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals—will lead the attack alongside his preferred partner, Marcus Thuram. Thuram was instrumental in the first leg, scoring a sensational backheel goal in Barcelona.
His return is a significant boost for coach Simone Inzaghi as the Italian champions look to secure a place in the final. In defense, Yann Bisseck steps into the backline to replace the injured Benjamin Pavard, who remains sidelined due to an ankle injury. Pavard had earlier played a crucial role by scoring the goal that helped Inter advance past Bayern.
Barcelona, managed by Hansi Flick, have made a single change to their starting XI. Eric Garcia replaces Jules Kounde at right-back after the latter picked up an injury. Star striker Robert Lewandowski is not fit enough to start and will be available only from the bench, making way for Ferran Torres to lead the line. Supporting Torres are the attacking trio of Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, and Raphinha, promising a dynamic and creative front.
Here are the confirmed starting line-ups for the clash:
Inter Milan (3-5-2)
Yann Sommer; Yann Bisseck, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez.
Coach: Simone Inzaghi (Italy)
Barcelona (4-2-3-1)
Wojciech Szczesny; Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo, Inigo Martinez, Gerard Martin; Frenkie de Jong, Pedri Gonzalez; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres; Raphinha.
Coach: Hansi Flick (Germany)
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
Kick-off is set for 19:00 GMT.
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