Good news for Barcelona: Inter Milan’s star player to miss Champions League return match

Lautaro Martínez has raised alarm bells after being substituted at halftime of Inter Milan‘s draw against FC Barcelona in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. The Italian side ended up drawing against a strong opponent. The Argentine captain is one of the main figures for Simone Inzaghi’s team, and his absence would be devastating.

Ahead of the return leg at the Giuseppe Meazza, “El Toro” will be unable to play due to a muscular injury. Medical tests confirmed the worst. “The Argentine striker suffered a strain in the flexors of his left thigh,“ reported the result of the MRI.

Martinez ruled out, Taremi likely to replace

Although the exact length of his absence has not been revealed, the Italian club has stated that the Nerazzurri’s all-time leading foreign scorer “will be evaluated day by day.” As a result, it is very likely that Inzaghi will replace him with Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi, as occurred in the first match.

“El Toro” has been injured before, however, there is always concern when your star player is being checked on by physicians constantly. Hopefully Martinez can return to the sport as soon as possible, because soccer fans miss the legend.

Pavard’s recovery a boost

While Inter Milan will be without Lautaro Martínez, they are hoping for the return of Benjamin Pavard, who missed the first leg due to a sprained ankle suffered against AS Roma in Serie A. Everything will depend on his progress to determine whether he will be available on Tuesday. His presence would certainly lift the squad, and potentially lead to a positive result.

Barcelona vs. Inter: The return leg

Following the match in Catalonia, the teams will face each other again on Tuesday, May 6th at 3PM. More than 80,000 spectators are expected to enjoy the return leg at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium.