Inter face ‘almost impossible’ task to keep Lamine Yamal quiet – Simone Inzaghi

Simone Inzaghi admitted Inter Milan face an “almost impossible” task in trying keep Lamine Yamal off the ball when they face Barcelona in the second leg of their finely-balanced Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.

The exceptional 17-year-old struck Barca’s opener in last week’s thrilling 3-3 first leg – also hitting the post twice and putting himself at the heart of his side’s best play – and Inzaghi is seeking a way to keep him quiet when the contest moves to the San Siro this week.

“It’s difficult, we’ll try to prevent him from getting the ball, although it’s almost impossible in modern football,” Inter head coach Inzaghi said.

“He’ll be marked closely, he’ll get doubled up on and we’ll try to be careful.

“As I said after the first leg, seeing him live, he’s an extraordinary talent. He’s incredibly dangerous at his age.

“They give him the ball in tough moments and I was impressed by his speed of thought. When he gets the ball, he already knows what he’s going to do next.”

Yamal’s performance on his 100th appearance for Barca brought widespread and deserved praise for the teenager.

His coach Hansi Flick is keen not to put too much pressure on the youngster, but cannot deny his special talent.

“For me, the team is what matters,” Flick said. “It’s true that there are exceptional players and Lamine is a genius.

“He helped us on Wednesday and it was great to see him, but he always has to prove himself. We want to reach the final and we hope everyone is at their best.”

Inter are looking to get back to the final for the first time since 2023, when the three-time European Cup winners lost to Manchester City, while Barca have not made the final since 2015, when they lifted the European Cup for a fifth time with a 3-1 win over Juventus.

Inzaghi is hoping to have his own danger man Lautaro Martinez available, but the Argentina international is still recovering from a muscle injury that forced him off at half-time last week and remains a doubt.

“We will decide on him tomorrow,” Inzaghi said. “(Benjamin) Pavard also took part in the first part of the training session yesterday and we will see how Lautaro is today.”

Barcelona have welcomed Robert Lewandowski back, with the experienced striker – who has been out for the last two weeks – having travelled to Milan.

But there are concerns at the other end of the pitch with Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde out, something that could prompt Flick to use four centre-backs across the back-line – with Eric Garcia a candidate at right-back and Inigo Martinez potentially on the left.

After the six-goal first leg, Flick is certainly keen on finding a way of keeping more control this time around.

“Last Wednesday they took advantage of every opportunity, it was incredible,” he said. “Tomorrow we’ll have to work on defence and closing spaces.

“It’s normal for everyone to want to reach the final. They have the strength of their defence, but also the ability to transition. It’s important not to give them opportunities in midfield or in the back-line.”