With the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final tie between FC Barcelona and Inter Milan ending in a highly entertaining 3-3 draw, both teams and their fans now have their eyes set on the second leg that is scheduled to be played at the Giuseppe Meazza on Tuesday.
With the way the Blaugranes reacted to going 2-0 down in the 21st minute of the game, the team’s spirits are quite high ahead of this crucial second leg.
But in addition to this morale uplift, the Catalans will also receive some reinforcements that can prove to be decisive in this game.
Alejandro Balde will be fully fit for the Inter Milan clash
This is clear from a report from Diario AS, which claims that the Barcelona medical team’s current priority is to recover Alejandro Balde and Robert Lewandowski ahead of this tie.
The fullback is in a better position physically, and he is expected to be fully fit for this upcoming game. He has been on the sidelines since April 12th, when he suffered a hamstring injury while playing against Leganes.
The duration of his spell on the sidelines was expected to be three weeks, a period that is set to expire this weekend. In fact, he can get the medical discharge this Friday to be able to play against Real Valladolid for the La Liga encounter on Saturday, at least for a few minutes.
Robert Lewandowski can also travel to Milan
Meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski is looking to return early from his injury and is now in a better position to play in the second leg. The medical team is expected to give him the green light on Monday, after which he will travel to Milan. Thus, he will be able to play in the game from the bench, as his chances of getting a start are quite slim at the moment.
As far as Flick is concerned, the German is keener to have Alejandro Balde back for this second leg, as the Spaniard would help keep a player as dangerous as Denzel Dumfries somewhat grounded, while his offensive runs will also allow Raphinha to get into central areas more often.
