Inter Milan head into the Champions League semi-finals with their season at risk of finishing empty-handed after a late slump has dashed their treble hopes, leaving them struggling to find form. Wednesday’s daunting clash at Barcelona could not have come at a worse time for the Italian side, who, since securing their place in the final four, have suffered three consecutive losses without scoring a goal. These defeats handed Napoli a three-point lead at the top of Serie A with four matches remaining and left Inter eliminated from the Coppa Italia after a disheartening 3-0 derby defeat to AC Milan last week.

Simone Inzaghi’s team appear fatigued and lacking inspiration in attack. Sunday’s 1-0 home loss to Roma was played in front of a subdued San Siro crowd, in stark contrast to the electric atmosphere that accompanied their thrilling progression past Bayern Munich two weeks ago.

"We deserved more and created situations from which we failed to get anything, largely because we lacked sharpness," said Inzaghi on Sunday.

"Maybe a positive result would have given us more energy, but we need to find that from within ourselves. We’ve got to recharge our batteries, both mentally and physically."

The last time Inter lost three consecutive matches without scoring was in 2012 during Claudio Ranieri’s ill-fated tenure as manager.

Inter’s most recent defeat to Roma was in October 2022. Just three days after that loss, Inter triumphed 1-0 over Barcelona, eventually reaching the final in Istanbul, where they narrowly lost to Manchester City.

Facing Barcelona Again

Barcelona will be Inter’s semi-final opponents, just as they were 15 years ago when, under José Mourinho, the eventual treble winners nearly lost the Serie A title to Roma, managed by Ranieri, before clinching it on the final day of the season.

However, this time, Inzaghi’s side will be under pressure after having one less day to recover, following the rescheduling of their match with Roma to Sunday to avoid clashing with Pope Francis’ funeral. This leaves France defender Benjamin Pavard with less time to recover from an ankle sprain sustained at the weekend.

Barcelona, meanwhile, are on a high after winning the Copa del Rey on Saturday, defeating Real Madrid in a match that saw their rivals implode in the face of a third successive Clasico defeat.

"We’re not scared, the best thing is to be in April and still have something to play for," said wing-back Carlos Augusto on Sunday.

"We have a chance to achieve something extraordinary, and we’re not afraid. This team has already won a lot and is always focused."

Inter’s Struggles and Thuram’s Importance

Inzaghi will be hoping that striker Marcus Thuram will be available, as his replacements have not made an impact alongside Lautaro Martínez, who has looked exhausted and frustrated.

Captain Martínez has been pivotal to Inter’s run to the semi-finals, scoring crucial goals that first secured their place in the Champions League knockout stage and then propelled them into the last four.

The 27-year-old has scored seven times in five Champions League matches since the turn of the year, half of his total goals for the period.

He scored both home and away against Bayern Munich and was in exceptional form during his match-winning performance against the Bundesliga champions-in-waiting two weeks ago, when Inter seemed to be on top of the world.

Now, however, Inter are scrambling to salvage something from what was once a dream season, but which is rapidly descending into a nightmare.