Barcelona Moves On from Copa Del Rey Triumph to Focus on Inter Clash with Defined Strategy

Barcelona's Copa Del Rey victory is now a thing of the past. The epic win against their eternal rivals was a glorious moment for the Blaugrana, who have secured two titles out of two possible this season. However, their sights are now set on bigger prizes: the League and especially the Champions League.

Barcelona has waited six years to return to the Champions League semi-finals. As Hansi Flick warned after the Copa final at La Cartuja, celebrations were brief, giving way to intense focus ahead of the first leg against Inter tomorrow at Montjuic.

Only the accumulated efforts of the players and the crucial injuries to Balde and Lewandowski concern the German coach, who is dealing with a thinner squad than desired due to these absences. He has a well-defined plan with few changes anticipated as they aim to reach the Champions League final, a goal that has eluded them for a decade.

Several players were left fatigued by the demanding Copa final, but none are seriously injured. Therefore, no major changes are expected in the lineup against Inter, aside from possible adjustments like Fermín replacing Dani Olmo, who was subdued in the Copa clash, or Araujo starting to shift Iñigo Martínez to the left flank instead of the youth player Gerard Martín.

Despite the marathon of significant matches in recent weeks and the accumulated effort, Barcelona and Flick are acutely aware that they are just 180 minutes away from the coveted Champions League final in Munich. Standing in their way is an Inter side shaken by their semi-final exit in the Coppa Italia against city rivals Milan, and two consecutive setbacks against Bologna and Roma in Serie A, which have given Napoli an edge in the title race.