The Catalan giants are bereft of their captain for the match, but will still be confident of picking up a win at home
Barcelona will attempt to peel away from Inter at the top of Champions League Group B when they face off at Camp Nou on Wednesday.
Ernesto Valverde’s side will be without the services of talisman Lionel Messi for the game, but they will still be confident in their ability to record a home win against the Serie A outfit.
However, it will not be an easy task against Luciano Spalletti’s men, who have strung together seven successive victories in all competitions, a run which includes wins over Tottenham and AC Milan.
The Nerazzurri have demonstrated a depth of character in recent weeks which has helped them snatch unlikely wins and they will be buoyed by their Milan derby triumph.
| Game | Barcelona vs Inter |
| Date | Wednesday, October 24 |
| Time | 8pm BST / 3pm ET |
| Stream (US only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
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| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Univision | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on BT Sport ESPN and it can be streamed online via the BT Sport app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport ESPN | BT Sport app |
| Position | Barcelona squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ter Stegen, Cillessen |
| Defenders | Pique, Semedo, Lenglet, Alba, Chumi |
| Midfielders | Rakitic, Busquets, Coutinho, Arthur, Rafinha, Roberto, Vidal |
| Forwards | L. Suarez, Dembele, Malcom, Munir |
Barcelona’s most notable absentee is, of course, Messi, who suffered a broken arm at the weekend. The captain’s absence has allowed Rafinha to get the start in attack ahead of the likes of Malcom, Munir and Ousmane Dembele, who are all on the bench.
Rafinha, who will face the team with which he spent the second half of last season on loan, makes his first Champions League start since Barca’s memorable 6-1 win over PSG in March 2017.
As well as Messi, Barcelona are without the injured duo of Thomas Vermaelen and Samuel Umtiti, which leaves them light at the back in terms of cover.
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Alba, Lenglet, Pique, Roberto; Busquets, Rakitic, Arthur; Coutinho, Rafinha, Suarez.
| Position | Inter squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Handanovic, Padelli, Berni |
| Defenders | Vrsaljko, De Vrij, Rannochia, Miranda, Skriniar, D’Ambrosio |
| Midfielders | Asamoah, Vecino, B. Valero, Perisic, Brozovic, Candreva |
| Forwards | Icardi, L. Martinez, Balde, Politano |
Spalletti will start Mauro Icardi and Ivan Perisic, but Inter will be without Radja Nainggolan, who suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s derby clash against AC Milan.
Roberto Gagliardini, Joao Mario and Dalbert are not in the panel for the trip to Catalunya.
Inter XI: Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, Skriniar, Miranda, Asamoah; Brozovic, Vecino, Valero, Perisic, Candreva; Icardi.
Barcelona are one of the favourites to win the competition, so it is no surprise to learn that they are 8/15 to win this game . Inter’s chances of beating Barca are rated at 11/2 and a draw is a 7/2 bet.
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Inter will be out to upset Barcelona in their own backyard on Wednesday and the fact that the hosts will be without their best player has only served to embolden the Serie A giants.
Spalletti’s side have been on a tremendous run of form, having not tasted defeat since mid September, and they are making a strong push for a place in the Champions League knock-out stage. With Messi out for a number of games – including El Clasico against Real Madrid – Nerazzurri captain Icardi knows that he will be sorely missed by Barca.
“It’s a pity Messi can’t be there because it’s nice to play against great footballers like him, who is one of the best in the world,” Icardi said of his compatriot’s absence . “He’s a big miss and it means we can go head to head [with Leo gone] because we have the qualities needed to take them on.”
While Barca began the season in impressive fashion, their results have been worryingly inconsistent in recent weeks, with a loss against Leganes, as well as draws against Valencia and Athletic Club blotting their form book for the last five games. Nevertheless, the Catalan giants have also beaten Tottenham and Sevilla in that same period.
Stars such as Philippe Coutinho, Luis Suarez and Dembele will be expected to step up in the absence of their stricken talisman as Barca attempt to take a step closer to the knock-out rounds.