Barcelona has advanced to the semi-finals with relative ease and is now aiming to reach the Champions League final for the first time since winning their fifth European Cup in 2015.

Meanwhile, Barcelona's fierce rivals, Real Madrid, have claimed the continental trophy five times since then, but the current champions have been eliminated this season, leaving Barcelona's dynamic young squad still in contention.

In their first European campaign under German coach Hansi Flick, Barcelona has scored at an impressive rate of 3.1 goals per game—only Flick's former team, Bayern Munich (3.2), has ever averaged more—finishing second behind Liverpool in the new league phase and defeating Benfica in the last 16.

They followed this with a decisive 4-0 home win over Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals, where they had previously struggled, losing five of their last six attempts to advance, before managing a 3-1 loss in Germany yet still progressing comfortably to the final four.

Throughout their European run, the Catalan club has won five and drawn one of their six home matches, scoring 21 goals, and Flick's high-scoring team added three more in Seville on Saturday, triumphing in a thrilling Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid.

After 116 minutes, an extra-time goal from Jules Kounde decided the five-goal spectacle, securing Barcelona's record 32nd domestic cup title.

Leading La Liga by four points over Real Madrid, Barcelona has won 23 of their last 28 games—losing only to Dortmund—and will aim to extend this form on Wednesday to gain a crucial first-leg advantage, though Inter remains unbeaten in their last 15 Champions League home games.

Additionally, Barcelona went winless in their two most recent encounters with Inter during the 2022-23 group stage and lost their last semi-final matchup.

Although Barcelona has won half of their 12 Champions League meetings with Inter overall, Inter's memorable 3-2 aggregate victory in 2010 led to their triumph in the final under Jose Mourinho.

Having won the European title for a third time in 2010, Inter were runners-up to Manchester City in 2023 and are now determined to go further.

After matching Barcelona's 19 points in this season's league phase, Inter defeated Feyenoord in both legs of the last 16 and then eliminated Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

Davide Frattesi's late goal in Bavaria set up a dramatic second leg at San Siro, where Inter secured a 2-2 draw to advance through a tightly contested quarter-final.

Under coach Simone Inzaghi, Inter has lost just two of their last 20 Champions League matches, and Inzaghi reaches his 50th game in the competition as the seventh Italian coach to do so, boasting an unmatched record of 26 wins.

While Inter has scored 19 goals this season compared to Barcelona's 37, their defensive strength stands out, having conceded only five goals and kept eight clean sheets.

However, recent form suggests fatigue may be an issue for Inter on Wednesday: they lost 3-0 to AC Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals last week—extending a five-game drought against their rivals—and have suffered back-to-back defeats in Serie A.

After a late goal ended their 13-game unbeaten streak in Bologna, they exited the cup to Milan and then lost 1-0 at home to Roma, leaving them three points behind league leaders Napoli with four games left, jeopardizing their title defense.

Before facing Hellas Verona this weekend, Inter must regain their defensive resolve to counter Barcelona's potent attack.

Without star striker Robert Lewandowski due to a hamstring injury, which may also sideline him for the return leg, Barcelona hopes to have first-choice left-back Alejandro Balde available.

If Balde fails his fitness test, Gerard Martin could fill in alongside defenders Inigo Martinez, Jules Kounde, and Pau Cubarsi, while Marc Bernal and Marc Casado remain out with knee injuries.

Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has returned to the squad for the first time since September, but experienced backup Wojciech Szczesny is likely to start.

Wingers Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, who will support Ferran Torres up front, have combined for more goals than any other duo in the Champions League this season (five) and have created the most chances (16 total, eight each), contributing to 27 of Barcelona's 37 goals.

Inter captain Lautaro Martinez has scored in his last five Champions League appearances, becoming the first player to reach over 20 goals for Inter in the competition.

His strike partner Marcus Thuram, who has netted a career-high 14 league goals this season, hopes to feature at Montjuic after missing three games due to a thigh injury, though alternatives Joaquin Correa, Marko Arnautovic, and Medhi Taremi have underperformed.

French defender Benjamin Pavard is doubtful with an ankle sprain, but Denzel Dumfries and Piotr Zielinski have returned from injury, and regulars Alessandro Bastoni and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are expected to start after serving suspensions.

Barcelona possible starting lineup:

Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Martin; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Torres

Inter Milan possible starting lineup:

Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram