Four teams are set to go head to head in a crunch Champions League semi-final second legs with a place in the final up for grabs.
After last week’s exhilarating first legs, the ties are still delicately poised.
Paris Saint-Germain are set to defend a narrow 1-0 lead against Arsenal at Parc des Princes, while Barcelona and Inter Milan reconvene at San Siro Stadium after dropping a Champions League classic.
There’s still plenty to play for heading into the tie decider.
Inter and Barca will take centre stage first, squaring off to become the first team to book their spot in the Munich showpiece.
UEFA Champions League final tickets are already selling out on Seatsnet.com. All that remains is for two of the last four teams to punch their ticket to Munich.
PSG will fancy their chances after their performance at the Emirates Stadium, but Luis Enrique’s side will know there’s still much work to be done.
After pulling off a massive comeback in the first leg, Barca have every right to feel somewhat invincible, backed by a five-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.
Inter will also fancy their chances on home turf, but the Nerazzurri fans will have a huge role to play on Tuesday night.
Here’s a peek behind the curtain ahead of the eagerly anticipated second-leg showdowns.
Inter and Barcelona set for semi-final decider after six-goal thriller
Inter and Barca face off at San Siro Stadium on Tuesday night in the decisive second leg of their Champions League semi-final, following last week’s dramatic 3-3 draw in Spain.
Marcus Thuram opened the scoring after just 30 seconds – the fastest goal ever in a Champions League semi-final.
Denzel Dumfries added two goals, but Barcelona responded through Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, and Yann Sommer’s own goal to level the tie.
This will be the 18th major European meeting between Inter and Barca. Only Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid (28), Juventus vs Madrid (21) and Inter vs Madrid (19) played more often in history.
Each of the last two games between Inter and Barca have ended 3-3 – in the Champions League in October 2022 and this season’s first leg.
After that first-leg goal fest, both teams are on course to break a Champions League record.
Only three Champions League semi-finals have seen 10+ goals scored on aggregate – Juventus 6-4 AS Monaco (1997/98), Liverpool 7-6 AS Roma (2017/18) and Madrid 6-5 Manchester City (2021/22).
Inter are hunting down their fourth European crown, and their stingy defence could be the key.
Simone Inzaghi’s side conceded just five goals and kept eight clean sheets before the semis.
They’re unbeaten in their last 15 Champions League home games (W12, D3), and have won nine of their last 11 European semi-finals at San Siro.
It’s defence vs attack on Tuesday, with Barca storming Milan with one of the most fearsome attacking trios in the world.
If anyone can pick Inter’s stingy defence, it’s Barca – and they proved it in the first leg.
En route to a potential sixth Champions League triumph, Barca have scored 40 goals – just five short of the all-time record – and have won 24 of their last 30 matches.
The spotlight has been on Lamine Yamal, but Inter also need to be wary of Raphinha, who has notched 20 goals and assists in the Champions League.
He’s close to breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 21G/A, which has stood for over a decade.
Barca are favourites, but their record in Italy could tilt the odds in Inter’s favour.
The Blaugranas have won just two of their 24 Champions League games in Italy and have just one win in six visits to San Siro.
Arsenal staring down the barrel of another trophyless season ahead of PSG showdown
Arsenal will attempt to defy the odds and rewrite history on Wednesday as they head to France trailing 1-0 in their Champions League semi-final against PSG.
Both PSG and Arsenal are bidding to reach their second Champions League final.
The French side did so in 2019/20, and the Gunners in 2005/06, so Champions League tickets are expected to be in high demand.
Nineteen years after their heartbreak in the 2006 final in Paris, the Gunners must become only the third team ever to overturn a first-leg home defeat in a Champions League semi-final.
Ousmane Dembele scored the only goal at the Emirates Stadium just four minutes into the first leg.
That goal brought him level with Kylian Mbappe for most goal contributions in a single Champions League campaign for PSG.
PSG are strong favourites to progress, especially as they have only ever been knocked out once in Europe after winning the first leg away – that was six years ago against Manchester United.
Their first-leg win was their first in six attempts against Arsenal (D3, L2). Both of their home games against the Gunners have finished 1-1 (March 1994, September 2016).
From the look of things, the upcoming contest in France will likely follow a similar trend. Luis Enrique’s side aren’t in top form.
They’ve won just two of their last six games in all competitions and head into this second leg on the back of a 2-1 defeat to RC Strasbourg in Ligue 1 at the weekend.
They fielded a second-string team against Strasbourg, so their recent form would count for nothing when they welcome Arsenal to the French capital.
Meanwhile, the Gunners threw away a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to Bournemouth over the weekend.
Unlike PSG, Mikel Arteta deployed his top guns, which would worry many Arsenal fans ahead of the Champions League tie-decider.
To make matters worse, that was the 10th time the Gunners have dropped points from a winning position this season – a club record.
Nevertheless, the Gunners have made it a habit of turning up in the Champions League this term and their record on the road gives fans something to cling to.
Arteta’s side are unbeaten in seven consecutive away matches in Europe, winning four in a row while scoring at least twice in each game.
A repeat of their 2-1 win at Madrid will take the tie to extra time. From there, it’s anyone’s game.
