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FC Barcelona are set to face Inter Milan on Wednesday, May 7, in a high-stakes second leg tie of the UEFA Champions League semi-final at the San Siro Stadium in Milan. They are coming off a 3-3 draw from the first leg at home and will be going into this fixture with some doubts over the availability of key players. Barca were dealt significant blows with injuries to Alejandro Balde and Robert Lewandowski earlier in April, during this crunch period of the season. While they have managed to put together good performances and deliver successful results without these two starters, including a win in the Copa Del Rey final against Real Madrid, fans have been waiting eagerly for the return of their star players.
Although the injuries sustained by both the players were not major injuries, the club had mentioned that they would assess the recovery of the players carefully to determine their return. And the latest development in this matter has been the inclusion of Robert Lewandowski in Barca latest training session ahead of the Inter game. Lewandowski missed Barca’s last LaLiga fixture against Real Valladolid, but is expected to be in the team squad for the UCL game.
Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde likely to miss Inter Milan clash
While he might not necessarily start the game, he wants to be there to help out his team in this massive fixture. Lewandowski’s presence will serve as huge boost for Barcelona as they will look to navigate through this tough fixture in hopes of reaching the UCL final for the first time in 10 years. However, the absence of both of Hansi Flick’s first-choice full-backs will be a matter of serious concern.
Jules Kounde, who recently picked up an injury, will miss out on the Inter game along with Alejandro Balde, who has reportedly not yet recovered from his injury as well. The club is supposedly looking to get Balde fit in time for the upcoming El Clasico against Real Madrid in light of the highly contested LaLiga title race.
