Big blow for Barcelona as 21-goal Inter Milan striker cleared fit to play tonight

The anxiety surrounding Lautaro Martinez’s fitness heading into Barcelona’s second leg Champions League semifinal clash against Inter Milan appears to be finally over.

After picking up an injury in the first leg, the Argentine international was expected to be ruled out for the second leg clash at San Siro.

However, Lautaro appears to have made an astounding recovery and is now in line to feature against Barcelona tonight.

Lautaro cleared to play against Barcelona
According to Mundo Deportivo, Lautaro Martinez has been confirmed fit to play tonight at San Siro.

This comes after a fast-paced recovery that saw him return to training in virtually no time. While he initially trained separately during Monday’s session, he completed shooting and sprint drills, showing no signs of discomfort.

Inter’s medical updates had hinted at his likely return, and his performance in training has now confirmed it.

The Argentine international was even seen operating alongside Marcus Thuram in attack during one of Simone Inzaghi’s training routines.

Meanwhile, Inter will be without defender Benjamin Pavard, who misses both legs of the semifinal due to an ankle injury.

Pavard, unable to complete Monday’s session, is Inter’s only absentee. Coach Inzaghi is expected to field the same starting lineup as the first leg, with Yann Bisseck continuing in defense.

As for Martinez, he might just be able to start once again, which in turn, could serve as a massive blow for Barcelona.

The offensive combination between Lautaro and Thuram could indeed cause a myriad of problems for the Catalans defence, which has appeared quite porous of late.