Inter v Barcelona: Spanish second string can spring a surprise

Barcelona may have already won Group F, but Dan Fitch thinks that they'll be strong enough to score against Inter at the San Siro.

Inter 1.68 v Barcelona 5.20; The Draw 4.50
Tuesday 10 December, 20:00
Live on BT Sport ESPN

Inter must match Dortmund result

A win for Inter against Barcelona will see them qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

The Italians are currently second in Group F. Level on points with Borussia Dortmund, they have the superior head-to-head record. However, with Dortmund widely expected to beat a Slavia Prague side that have already been eliminated, the pressure is on Inter to match their result to book their place in the last-16.

In theory, that task could be made easier for the fact that Barcelona have nothing to play for having already won the group. There will likely be some rotation, but due to lack of options in attack it's likely that Barca will give starts to two of their fearsome front three of Antoine Griezmann, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. With players of the quality of Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal to come into the side, Barcelona should be competitive.

Inter are unbeaten in five since losing their away match to Borussia Dortmund (W4 D1). They drew at home against Roma on Friday, yet remained top of Serie A after Juventus lost to Lazio.

Barca can make things tough for Inter

Inter deserve to be favourites, but their price of 1.68 looks a little slim against a Barcelona team that will still be strong, even if not at full strength.

A year ago Barcelona were in the similar position of having already won their group and a second-string side were still able to draw 1-1 with a motivated Tottenham team that would go on to reach the final. With the attacking talent likely to start against Inter, both teams to score should land at 1.70.