Crucial Inter Milan star faces injury battle for Barcelona trip

Barcelona’s season heads into crunch mode in the coming weeks as Hansi Flick continues to battle across three fronts.

La Blaugrana held off a spirited comeback from Borussia Dortmund to book their spot in the UEFA Champions League semi finals in midweek where they face off with Serie A leaders Inter Milan.

Inter Milan survived a scare in their own quarter final clash, to eventually edge past Bayern Munich, with Simone Inzaghi also pushing for a trophy treble next month.

Inzaghi has stuck with a largely settled starting XI in Europe this season but he could be without a key attacking star for the first leg at Barcelona on April 30.

France international Marcus Thuram has suffered an adductor injury and will miss the weekend Serie A trip to Bologna.

As per reports from Mundo Deportivo, citing Inter Milan’s statement on Thuram, but no firm date has been given on his expected return to the squad.

Inter Milan will keep a close eye on his recovery in the coming days and make a decision ahead of their Coppa Italia semi final first leg up against arch rivals AC Milan on April 23.

Inzaghi may look to manage the 27-year-old’s game time across a busy stretch of fixtures as he feels the same sensation as Flick over match congestion.

Thuram has been vital for Inzaghi in 2024/25 with 17 goals scored across all competitions – plus five assists in 44 matches – and three goals scored in the Champions League.

Lautaro Martinez is the club’s top scorer in 2024/25, with 21 goals in all competitions, as part of a potent attacking duo with Thuram.

If Thuram misses out away at Barcelona, it will be a blow for Inzaghi’s visitors, but he has back up options in place including Joaquin Correa, Marko Arnautovic and Mehdi Taremi to start up top with the in-form Martinez.