Report reveals why Joan Laporta wanted to face Inter Milan in the UCL semi-finals, Real Madrid in the final | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to return to UEFA Champions League action tonight and will be looking to continue with the form they have shown so far in the premier European competition this season.

The Catalans have won 9, drawn 1, and lost 2 of the 12 total matches they have played so far in the competition. After finishing 2nd in the League Phase, the Blaugranes have beaten SL Benfica and Borussia Dortmund in the knock-out rounds of this UCL edition.

Next up, they are set to face Inter Milan in the semi-finals, the first leg of which is scheduled to take place tonight. They could very well have faced Bayern Munich in this tie, as the Bavarians had faced the Nerazzurri in the quarter-finals, but were eliminated with a 4-3 scoreline on aggregate.

Joan Laporta wanted Barcelona to face Inter Milan

Most people would have considered the Bavarians the favorites in this tie, but according to Mundo Deportivo, the result of this quarter-final tie was exactly in accordance with the wishes of the Barcelona president, Joan Laporta.

The report claims that after having visited Germany twice to face Borussia Dortmund, once for the League Phase match and once for the second leg of the quarter-finals, the top Blaugrana official had told his close friends that he was fed up with going to that country.

Barcelona playing the second leg of the UCL quarter-final tie against Borussia Dortmund. [Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images]

His last two visits to Dortmund would have been rather uneventful, as there are not many attractions to see and the food is not anything out of the ordinary either.

Thus, Laporta wanted to avoid facing Bayern Munich in the semi-final stage. This was also because he was convinced he would have to visit the Allianz Arena once again, as the UCL final for this year is scheduled to take place in this stadium.

Another of Laporta’s desires not fulfilled

However, another of his desires was not met in another aspect, as he wanted to face Real Madrid in the final, but the Merengues were eliminated in the quarter-final stage at the hands of Arsenal. Joan Laporta’s reasoning was that beating Los Blancos directly in a final would make their argument of having a significantly higher number of UCL titles lose its value.

As things stand, this is no longer possible, but on the bright side, the Barcelona President would not have to travel to Germany for the semi-final tie.