Barcelona face Champions League D-Day with knockout hopes on line against Inter Milan

Spanish side face financial hammer blow if they drop down to Europa League for second season in row

Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski reacts during the 2-0 Champions League defeat against his former club Bayern Munich on September 13, 2022. AFP

Robert Lewandowski reacts. AFP

Robert Lewandowski had a frustrating night. AFP

Robert Lewandowski on the pitch. AFP

Bayern Munich's Lucas Hernandez celebrates scoring the first goal at Allianz Arena. Getty

Lucas Hernandez scores past Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Getty

Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann reacts. EPA

Leroy Sane scores Bayern's second goal. Getty

Leroy Sane celebrates his goal. Getty

Leroy Sane celebrates the second goal. AFP

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez is frustrated on the sidelines. EPA

Barcelona's Franck Kessie reacts. Reuters

Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski fires in a free kick. AP

Robert Lewandowski in action against his former club. Reuters

Robert Lewandowski in action with Bayern Munich's Lucas Hernandez. Reuters

A long-term grudge festers between Barcelona and Inter Milan and, if the major flashpoints of their past duels in Uefa competition happened a decade or more ago, it does not take much to stoke the antagonism.

Barcelona are still fuming about the refereeing of last week’s narrow Inter victory at San Siro, still vexed that their 71 per cent possession somehow translated into a 1-0 defeat.

The result leaves Barca in peril as they prepare host Inter at Camp Nou on Wednesday. The prospect of relegation into the Europa League for a second season in succession is very real.

Defeats at Bayern Munich and at Inter, where two handball decisions went against Barca, have left them trailing Bayern by six points and Inter by three. Losing again to the Serie A side, coupled with Bayern at least drawing with Vikoria Plzen, the makeweights in a tough group, would push the German and Italian clubs into the knockout stage.

Lose out on the financial rewards that reaching the next round guarantee, and Barca would also be confronted with some uncomfortable truths about their economic circumstances.

The club are juggling over €1 billion of debt and, although they found new income streams to fund an expensive and busy summer of recruitment, they came with a long-term bind. The club effectively mortgaged a portion of their future broadcast-rights money over the next 25 years, selling 25 per cent of it to an independent investor. They also sold off a tranche of one of their principal merchandising companies.

The funds raised, and channelled into signing the likes of Robert Lewandowksi, Raphinha and Jules Kounde, among others, were proof of the club’s global appeal and the financial sector’s trust in Barca’s ongoing ability to capture the imagination. That dazzle fades a little with each early exit from the Champions League, the game’s most glamorous club competition.

Inter Milan 1 Barcelona 0: player ratings

INTER MILAN PLAYER RATINGS: Andre Onana – 6. Showed composure with the ball at his feet and got his fingertips onto Dembele’s powerful strike. Lucky to see Pedri’s goal ruled out after he made a mess of Dembele’s cross. Booked in the final stages. AFP

Milan Skriniar – 8. Resolute in his defending throughout the game, doing well to get a flick on Dembele’s cross. Authoritatively held Alonso off the ball in a potentially dangerous situation and defended superbly when Dembele swung a free-kick into the box. Reuters

Stefan de Vrij – 8. Played a searching pass in the build-up to the penalty shout that was denied, and showed plenty of persistence to deal with Lewandowski with one particular slide tackle being a standout moment for him. AFP

Alessandro Bastoni – 8. Defended superbly throughout, impressively stopping Lewandowski from reaching Pedri’s through ball and tackling Dembele in his own box. Booked for a foul on Kessie near the edge of his own box, but then cleared the Ivorian’s knockdown with the final kick of the game. Getty

Matteo Darmian – 7. Defended well throughout his time on the pitch and was unlucky not to find Martinez with his cross after beating Alonso. AFP

Nicolo Barella – 7. Could have played Correa in when he led a counterattack but put in a lot of good defensive work as well as showing attacking intent when possible. Booked for dissent. EPA

Hakan Calhanoglu – 8. Hit a superb strike that forced Ter Stegen to tip the ball over, but the goalkeeper had no chance of stopping his effort from range at the end of the first half. Also made some important defensive contributions at times. Booked for a poor sliding tackle on Busquets. AFP

Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 7. Delivered a wicked cross that was eventually cut out by Pedri. Also contributed defensively, making a great tackle when Dembele tried to cut in, and showed plenty of energy until the very end. AFP

Federico Dimarco – 7. Put in a superb defensive display to make things difficult for Dembele. Unlucky to see his ambitious strike deflected off target but laid the ball off to Calhanoglu for the opener. Saved by VAR when Dembele finally beat him to make a chance worthy of being converted. AFP

Joaquin Correa – 5. Didn’t have too many chances to make an impact on the game and was caught offside when he rounded Ter Stegen and finished. AFP

Lautaro Martinez – 6. Put in a determined display and held the ball up well at times but couldn’t control his header from an inviting corner delivery. His great touch controlled Barella’s pass but he then played a poor pass when there was a chance to trouble Barcelona. Booked for an incident involving Gavi. AFP

SUBS: Edin Dzeko (Correa 56’) – 6. Didn’t have the opportunity to make much of a difference going forward but pulled off some brilliant headers in his own box. AFP

Denzel Dumfries (Darmian 76’) – N/R. Somehow morphed his body into a position that meant he didn’t turn Dembele’s corner into his own net, but there were questions about whether he handled another cross. Reuters

Robin Gosens (Dimarco 76’) – N/R. Gave possession away cheaply but wasteful play from Barcelona meant he got away with it. Put in a shift to help see out the game. Reuters

Francesco Acerbi (De Vrij 77’) – N/R. Kept up with Lewandowski with his first involvement, did well to clear a knockdown, then made some brilliant defensive headers (no match photo available). AFP

Kristjan Asllani (Calhanoglu 85’) – N/R. Made an important intervention to stop a potentially threatening cross into the box and pulled off some impressive passes. Getty

BARCELONA PLAYER RATINGS: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen – 6. Tipped a sixth-minute Calhanoglu shot over, but was well beaten from outside the area by the same player just before the break. Only conceded four goals all season before Tuesday night. Getty

Sergi Roberto – 7. Started in the eighth different defence in Barca’s 10 games so far this season. More touches than any of the player on the pitch, but that meant little as the Catalans lost the game. Couldn’t get on the end of Sergi Roberto’s 86th minute penalty. "I'm angry,” he said. “I don't know what happened with the referee’s decisions but it seems he had his reasons to not give the penalty kick." AFP

Eric Garcia – 6. Big first half appeal from the Inter players for him handling the ball, but he was saved by VAR before the incident. Big let off for him. Recovered superbly to win the ball from Martinez. “The result hurt because we were attacking on the front foot and they were defending during the whole game," he said. Reuters

Andreas Christensen – 5. Headed into the arms of Onana after 13. Went down and limped off after 54 after he turned and Mkhitaryan landed on his toes. With Araujo and Kounde already out and games against Inter and Real Madrid this month, an absence could be costly. AFP

Marcos Alonso – 5. Picked up a stray 12th-minute Inter ball and moved forward on the left when his side attacked against the side who are ninth in Serie A. For all his space, he didn’t have enough impact against Inter’s resolute defence. AFP

Sergio Busquets – 6. Booked on the hour and one of several Barca players who grew frustrated as the game went on. AFP

Gavi – 6. Booked for losing his cool – and not for the first time. Such a talent, but needs to calm when things aren’t going well, as they didn’t in Milan. AFP

Pedri – 7. Barca’s best player in the first half, he’s known for his forward play, but cut out a 20th minute Inter attack. Set up Dembele in a first half where Barca had a good opening 20 minutes but had little end product. Thought he’d got the key equaliser on 66, but VAR thought otherwise. Reuters

Ousmane Dembele – 8. Rapid down either side and a threat to Inter. Shot into the side netting on 35 but didn’t impose himself as he much as he’d hope. Hit the post on the hour in his side’s best effort of the game. Excellent cross – one of several - led to Pedri’s disallowed effort. EPA

Robert Lewandowski – 5. Playing at a venue where he’s never scored, the Pole was quiet in a noisy stadium. Most disappointing game of what has so far been an excellent season. Needs to show in the return game next week, a huge match for both sides. AFP

Raphinha – 5. Ineffective in the first half, but then Inter defending better than any of Barca’s opponents so far this season. Still, Barcelona had two shots on target all night. Not enough. AFP

SUBS: Gerard Pique (Christensen 54’) – 7. Went straight into complaining to the referee about perceived time wasting – six Inter players were booked. Wise when defending against another veteran, Dzeko. Reuters

Ansu Fati (Raphinha 64’) – 7. Played in the stadium where he became the youngest ever goalscorer in Champions League history. Didn’t score but he did touch the ball with his fingertips before Pedri put the ball in on 68. The goal didn’t stand. Then, on 90, he appealed for a penalty. Reuters

Alejandro Balde (Alonso 64’) – 6. Gave his side the fresh energy they needed, but to no avail. Getty

Franck Kessie (Gavi 84’) – NA. Won the ball and ran towards goal, but gave a pass which Dembele wasted. Reuters

Lewandowski’s goals – 12 in 11 games since joining for €45m from Bayern Munich – have helped put Barcelona joint top of the Spanish first division, but as they approach D-Day against Inter, and Sunday’s clasico at Real Madrid, with whom they share the domestic leadership, there is a growing sense of anxiety, of a club feeling under siege.

The president, Joan Laporta, railed against Uefa at the weekend for the refereeing at the San Siro; Xavi called the failure to award a penalty to Barcelona after Inter’s Denzel Dumfries appeared to make contact with his hand, and to rule out a Pedri "goal" because of a perceived Ansu Fati handball “an outrage”.

Xavi would remember vividly the outrage he felt as a player when Inter came to Camp Nou for the second leg of a Champions League semi-final in 2009/10. That talented Barcelona side, under Pep Guardiola, were the defending champions, included the current players Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique and had Xavi and Lionel Messi commanding possession ahead of them. But they lost the tie to a cagey Inter, then managed by Jose Mourinho.

Then, as now, there was a burning sense of injustice after the away leg, which Barcelona had to travel to by bus because all flights had been cancelled due to ash in the skies above Europe from the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull, a volcano in Iceland.

Inter won 3-1 that night. Down to 10 men for more than an hour of the Camp Nou leg, Inter progressed, on aggregate, after an ultra-defensive performance and a bad-tempered 1-0 loss to Barca. Mourinho’s men went on to win the 2010 final.

Bayern Munich 2 Barcelona 0: player ratings

BAYERN MUNICH RATINGS: Manuel Neuer 6 – Made some good saves but had a moment of fear after gifting the ball to Lewandowski after 13 minutes. Getty Images

Dayot Upamecano 8 – An impressive performance from the young centre-back who stood up well in a physical battle against Lewandowski. Getty Images

Lucas Hernandez 7 – Lost Alonso to head home past Ter Stegen for the opening goal. Reuters

Benjamin Pavard 5 – Forced off with a thigh injury after 21 minutes following a collision with Alonso in the opening stages. AFP

Alphonso Davies 8 – An all-round performance from the flying full-back, who showed blistering pace to propel his side forward and get back and deny the Barcelona counterattack. EPA

Joshua Kimmich 8 – Superb delivery from the corner for Hernandez’s opener and ensured his former teammate Lewandowski would not get a goal in the final minute with a vital intervention. AFP

Marcel Sabitzer 6 – Came close with an effort that crept wide at the half-hour mark. The Austrian was unlucky to be booked after a 50-50 with Busquets in the first half. AP Photo

Leroy Sane 7 – Rolled the ball past Ter Stegen after 53 minutes to score the second goal of the night. The German was unhappy to be substituted after 80 minutes, despite his team’s performance. AFP

Jamal Musiala 7 – The 19-year-old was at ease in the second half and produced a perfectly weighted pass to assist Sane for the second goal. The young midfielder could have shown more composure with his finishing. AFP

Sadio Mane 5 – A subdued performance from the Senegal international, with few chances falling his way and he was replaced by Gnabry after 70 minutes. EPA

Thomas Muller 6 – Had a good game in midfield, but arguably a quiet night by the German’s standards. Reuters

SUBS: Noussair Mazraoui (Pavard, 21) – A strong cameo after coming on to replace the injured Pavard. Had a decent effort from outside the box saved at the half-hour mark. AFP

Leon Goretzka (Sabitzer, 46) 7 – A much-needed dominating presence in the middle of the park following his introduction at half time, and a strike on the edge of the area was matched by Ter Stegen. AP Photo

Serge Gnabry (Mane, 70) N/A. AFP

Ryan Gravenberch (Musiala, 80) N/A. AFP

Mathys Tel (Sane, 80) N/A. Getty Images

BARCELONA RATINGS: Marc-Andre ter Stegen 6 - Back home in Germany against a side who’ve drawn their last three Bundesliga games. Easy save from a 26th minute effort from Mazraoui. Dived to his right to save from Muller on 49, but then beaten twice in three minutes, which meant he was on the losing side for the first time this season. AFP

Marcos Alonso 7 – A surprise start ahead of Jordi Alba. Touched the ball more than any other player on the pitch but he didn’t track Hernandez, who put Bayern ahead from Kimmich a corner on 50 minutes. That set his team back and they never recovered. EPA

Andreas Christensen 6 – Started ahead of Eric Garcia, who replaced him on 70 minutes as Xavi continued his rotations. There’s two thoughts on this: a top side should have a stable defence. And a top side needs to rotate players. The jury is out with Barcelona’s defence under Xavi. EPA

Ronald Araujo 6 - Fine in the first half, like his team, then Barça’s defence were undone twice and the attack stopped attacking in the second half after Bayern found their stride. AP Photo

Jules Kounde 6 - Couldn’t get near Sane, who burst between defenders, to score Bayern’s second. This Barcelona squad have some great players, but they’re still coming together as a team. AFP

Sergio Busquets 6 - A knock on the mouth from Musiala but central to Barcelona’s best first half in Europe for a long time. Good battle between him and Musiala. Booked. AFP

Pedri 7 - Shot on target after 8 minutes was brilliant, but his moment came after 62 when he ran though the Bayern defence and received a ball which he clipped over Neuer and onto the post. Reuters

Gavi 6 - Set up Lewandowski on 18 minutes, tracked Mane throughout. Brought off just after Bayern made it 30 games unbeaten in Champions League group games. AFP

Ousmane Dembele 7 - Lively for a side who made nine attempts on goal in the first 30 minutes. Brought down on the edge of the box on 43 minutes. Outrageous skill as he drifted past players on 67. AP Photo

Robert Lewandowski 6 - Central to Barça’s first quality attack on eight minutes. The man with nine goals in his last five games should’ve scored having been set up by Gavi on 17 and again with a header on 18. You have to take your chances. In the stadium where he was loved for so long, he didn’t. Not his night. Getty Images

Raphinha 7 - Wrapped his foot around the ball to make a low drive on 25 having been set up by Lewandowski. Made a similar shot immediately after half time, before being brought off. AFP

SUBS: Frenkie de Jong 6 - On for Gavi after 60 and set up Lewandowski with on 66. Moved well. EPA

Ferran Torres 7 - On for Raphinha after an hour. Linked up well with Lewandowski, but without any end result. Had a shot deflected wide on 86. AFP

Ansu Fati N/A - On for Dembele on 80. Ran into a crowd of Bayern defenders and couldn’t get a shot off on 85. EPA

Franck Kessie NA - On for Busquets after 80 to add energy to a tiring side. AFP

More recent Inter-versus-Barca precedents had favoured Barcelona until Hakan Calhanoglu’s precise shot from long distance settled last Wednesday’s contest, and plunged Xavi’s team into emergency mode.

“We have three ‘finals’ ahead of us now,” said Xavi, who acknowledged confidence has dropped since Barca lost on match day two at Bayern. “Three weeks ago, we were flying, and now we’re not. We need to be more consistent.

“In the Champions League, we can’t afford to concede any ground. If the intensity drops, our opponent will take advantage.”

That opponent touched down in Catalonia without some of its menace. Romelu Lukaku remains on Inter’s injury list, as he was last week, and along with Joaquin Correa, the striker, is all but ruled out of the possible starting line-up. Midfielder Marcelo Brozovic is also recuperating.

Xavi has to plan around absentees, too. Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Hector Bellerin, three of the defenders signed during the busy summer recruitment, are out; so is the versatile defender Ronald Araujo, midfielder Franck Kessie, and striker Memphis Depay.