Alessandro Bastoni says Inter will have to be at their very best to overcome Lamine Yamal and Barcelona in their Champions League semi-final.
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Inter to face Barcelona in Champions League semi-finalsBastoni set to square off against Spain wonderkid YamalWinner of tie will take on Arsenal or PSG in the finalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Inter and Barcelona will meet in the Champions League semi-finals after overcoming Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund respectively this week. It's set to be a fascinating tie between the leaders of Italy and Spain's top divisions, but Bastoni has admitted he will have a hard time keeping Spanish wonderkid Lamine Yamal quiet over two legs.
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While Bastoni has developed into one of European football's most reliable central defenders, he revealed he doesn't have a concrete idea of how to prepare to face Yamal. The pair have squared off just once before, when Yamal's Spain triumphed over Italy 1-0 in the group stages of Euro 2024, and Bastoni acknowledged that game didn't go in his favour.
Getty Images SportWHAT BASTONI SAID
In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Bastoni said: "I don't know because the last time at the Euros it didn't go so well. Barcelona have a clear identity, they may leave some space, but we have to defend as a team against them.
"We've already faced top-class wingers. [Michael] Olise and [Leroy] Sane with Bayern and Arsenal during the league phase. We need 100% focus and 100% fitness if we want to cause them problems.
"Potentially, we could finish second in all three competitions, but at the start of the season, we had signed up to be table leaders and advance to the Coppa Italia and Champions League semi-finals. We feel the fatigue, but as we said at the start of the year, we want to go for everything."
WHAT NEXT FOR BASTONI AND INTER?
After helping his side overcome Bayern in midweek, Bastoni and Inter have a tough trip to Bologna this weekend before taking on local rivals AC Milan in the second leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final. Their first clash with Barcelona then arrives on Wednesday 30 April.