Inter Milan defender admits stopping Barcelona prodigy will be a challenge | OneFootball

The UEFA Champions League semi-final match-ups have been set this week and FC Barcelona will lock horns with Serie A champions Inter Milan for a spot in the grand finale.

The Blaugrana made it through after seeing off Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals while Inter Milan also eliminated a team from Germany – Bayern Munich – to secure a spot in the final four.

Alessandro Bastoni concerned about stopping Lamine Yamal

The first leg of the semi-final between Barcelona and Inter Milan will take place on April 30 and ahead of the game, Nerazzurri defender Alessandro Bastoni admitted that Lamine Yamal will be a threat to his team.

In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t SPORT), Bastoni did not hide his concerns.

“How are we going to stop Lamine Yamal? I do not know, because the last time at the Euros, it did not go very well for us,” he said with a smile, referencing Spain’s 1–0 win over Italy, where Yamal and Nico Williams were relentless threats.

Lamine Yamal will be a threat for Inter. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Bastoni insists the only way to stop Barcelona is through unity, saying: “We need to defend as a team.”

The key ingredients, according to the Inter defender, are clear: “We need full concentration and to be physically at 100 percent. That is how we can cause them problems.”

The fighting spirit of Simone Inzaghi’s Inter has been a defining trait throughout the competition. And Bastoni echoed the sentiment voiced by Lautaro Martinez earlier in the season, saying:

“We have guts, but above all we believe in ourselves. From the outside, Inter might not look like favourites, but inside the squad, we are full of confidence. We know we may not be the best individually, but together, we can trouble anyone.”

However, the Italian international did add a note of caution: “If we stop helping each other and working collectively, we risk collapsing.”